A cafe owner brought a man back to life thanks to his 35 years in the NHS.

The man, aged just 23, fell face down outside Cafe Maroc in Rochester High Street. He had no pulse and had stopped breathing.

Cafe owner Harry Smith, 59, (pictured left with co-owner Peter Moorcraft) retired as a top nurse just months ago, so he rushed out to give chest compressions.

Minutes later the young man gasped for air and his heart started beating again. Ambulances arrived and took him to Medway Maritime Hospital, where he was recovering.

Co-owner Peter Moorcraft, 63, said: “I spotted the guy and he was clearly in cardiac arrest, so I shouted to Harry to drop the meatballs.”

Mr Smith said: “We got his rucksack off and I did a quick assessment of his vital signs. He wasn’t breathing and there was no pulse. We couldn’t do mouth-to-mouth because of his facial injuries, so I did chest compressions.

“I carried on until the airway opened and he started to breathe spontaneously. Somebody said not to but I knew he would die otherwise.”

Mr Smith, who was also mayor of Gravesham in 2006, revealed it was not the first time he had saved a life. He dismissed those afraid to help others for fear of being sued.

"i spotted the guy and he was clearly in cardiac arrest, so i shouted to harry to drop the meatballs" – co-owner peter moorcraft

Police cordoned off Gundulph Road after the man collapsed at 9.45am, though they are not treating the collapse as suspicious. They re-opened the road at 10.45am.

Mr Smith, who as a respected HIV expert led the Renton sexual health clinic at Darent Valley Hospital, is also chairman of the Varnaran Buddhist Association.

He and Mr Moorcraft, a retired Medway public health officer who lives in Rochester High Street, opened their cafe in September.

Mr Smith added: “We had to abandon our customers - it goes without saying normal service was on hold!”

We would like to hear from the 23-year-old who collapsed. If you can help, phone 01634 227880.