Three heroic lifeguards have been praised for saving a drowning woman from the brink of death.

The victim was clinically dead when the men jumped into a swimming pool to pull her out and revive her.

One of the men, Steve Lawrence, said: "She was completely blue when we got her out and was no longer breathing."

Colleague John Blair said: "It was the worst case I have ever dealt with. At first I thought she was dead and that there was no hope for her. I have never seen anybody so lifeless."

The lifeguards swung into action at the pool of the New Beach Holiday Park, in Dymchurch.

They had noticed the woman floating face down in a swimming lane with only her bathing cap on the water surface.

Another swimmer already in the water had gone to check on her and found her unresponsive.

Mr Lawrence, Mr Blair and colleague Ryan Metten then raced into the water to pull her out.

They found she was unconscious, had no pulse and was not breathing.

They immediately worked to revive her with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) with Mr Lawrence performing chest compressions and Mr Blair providing mouth to mouth revival.

Mr Metten evacuated the pool and dialled 999.

Three minutes after they started reviving her, the woman convulsed and began to breathe again.

The team put the woman in the recovery position, wrapped in a blanket, and spoke to her to reassure her.

She was rushed by ambulance to Ashford's William Harvey Hospital, by which time she was gradually able to talk.

The woman, in her early 40s, had been on holiday at the Hythe Road resort from Norwich with her husband and son.

She was thought to have had an epileptic seizure in the water.

Later that day, the husband and son visited the lifeguards and the indoor pool to say she was on the mend and thank them for their efforts.

"No amount of training prepares you for this. It is a life or death situation and you have to think on your toes..." - lifeguard John Blair

The family left Dymchurch for Norwich on Monday after the incident at shortly before 9.30am on Saturday.

Mr Blair, 41, of Dymchurch Road, Dymchurch is a full timer at New Beach and first became a lifeguard 15 years ago.

He is now a trainer and coached the other two.

Mr Metter, 25, of Cheriton, is also a full timer at the resort and has been a lifeguard for 12 months.

Mr Lawrence, a part-timer, has only been a lifeguard for a couple of months and this is his first rescue.

Mr Blair said: "I have rescued people before but never somebody in such a serious condition. No amount of training prepares you for this. It is a life or death situation and you have to think on your toes.

"If you don't revive them in time, even if they survive, they could end up brain dead."