Police officers have been praised after saving the life of a woman who had been lying injured in her home for five days.

The three officers forced entry into a house in Willesborough, Ashford, to save the elderly woman after being tipped off by her neighbour.

The team, from the Problem-Solving Task Force, were called by the concerned resident who told them her neighbour had not been seen for several days.

The informant also said there appeared to be post and newspapers accumulating at her front door.

Fearing the woman had come to serious harm, the team – PSCOs Joseph Cain, Lauren Butcher and Paul Wooster – forced their way inside.

When they got in, they found the resident – a lady in her 70s – seriously injured in her bathroom, having been lying there for five days.

The officers immediately gave her first aid and called for an ambulance, which took her to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where her condition has since improved.

There was less than 20 minutes between the time of the original call and the moment an officer found the injured woman.

Sergeant Ben Crook, from task force, said: "The quick-thinking actions of our officers has meant a woman in urgent need of care and support has got the help she needs, and I commend them for their efforts.

"It’s really pleasing to hear her condition is improving."