A former Dartford student who plunged seven storeys from a hotel balcony has been flown home to the UK.

Philip Pain, 20, underwent many operations at the Sharp hospital in Mazatlan, Mexico, after falling from the balcony while on holiday on New Year’s Eve.

The former Dartford Grammar School pupil was left in a coma, and a campaign set up - spearheaded by his brother and sister – for blood donors. Philip has rare type-O negative blood, and the Facebook campaign by Lawrence and Stephanie helped save his life.

Now Philip is back in the UK, and his mother Sally said she’s delighted: "I feel relieved to be home because it was an absolute nightmare going through what we went through and being stuck in Mexico – although the people out there were absolutely brilliant to us.

"Strangers that we’d never met before offered to help with lifts and accommodation and food. They were really genuine about it."

But she said even getting home at the weekend was fraught with difficulties. Two flights totalling 14 hours proved uncomfortable for the Bexleyheath student.

Audio: Sally Pain speaks about the moment just before her son's balcony plunge

Sally said: "The first connection was an hour and a half, and he had to sit fairly upright in a normal seat, which was quite uncomfortable. The second flight was business class, so it was better."

A doctor travelled from Mexico, to help look after Philip, and administer sedatives or painkillers.

Now he is getting treatment in King’s College Hospital, London, but faces a long recovery. After the coma, he even struggles to talk and has only partial movement in his upper body. Doctors should soon be able to say what physiotherapy he needs, but he is likely to be in hospital for weeks.

He still has no memory of the incident, after a New Year’s Eve party with friends and their parents.