A policeman who saved a young boy’s life while on a bus to work has been awarded for his quick thinking.

Sergeant Rob Jackson, 49, from Gravesend, was on the number 499 heading into town when the bus suddenly stopped near St John’s Catholic School in Rochester Road.

He admitted his first concern was missing his train to London.

He said: “I thought I was going to be late for work because I was going to miss my connecting train, due to the kids misbehaving. I thought ‘oh no not again’”.

The father-of-two walked to the front of the bus to investigate and soon discovered how serious the problem was.

He said: “I looked at the driver and his expression was very panicked. This kid was on his knees with a rucksack on his back. I went to lift his head back but it was a dead weight.”

Eleven-year-old Jonathan Seabright would later be diagnosed with epilepsy and this was his first fit.

Sgt Jackson said: “I realised he wasn’t breathing and his lips had gone blue. I’ll be honest I was terrified, two of my kids are of a similar age.

“I was worried he was going to die and that there was nothing I could do to save him.

“I gave him two rescue breaths and he came to and spluttered. I then put him in the recovery position and tilted his head back.”

He called an ambulance and made sure Jonathan’s airways were clear. Before the policeman had got involved, his tongue had been stopping him from breathing.

Sgt Jackson, who joined Kent Police in 2001 before moving to the Met in 2009 where he works for the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said he was just glad to help.

He has now been honoured by the Royal Humane Society (RHS), a charity that grants awards for acts of bravery in saving a human life, for his actions on October 17, 2013.

He said: “You don’t want to see anyone keel over and knowing that I played a part in keeping him going until the experts turned up was a nice feeling.

“It was nice to get recognition but it’s part and parcel of life really if you see someone suffering. I’ve got training and I put it into action.”