A quick-thinking shop assistant saved a woman's life when she fainted and fell onto the track at Rochester railway station.

James Kinnon, of City Way, Rochester, was with his girlfriend Olivia, 20, and brother Charles, 23, when he saw the woman fall - moments before a train was due.

As other travellers stood and watched in horror, the 25-year-old - who works at Iceland in Chatham - jumped off the platform to rescue her.

James said: "Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving and I took a couple of steps to see what it was.

"This woman was on the track. She wasn't moving; she was slumped on one of the rails. I knew the train was coming as I could hear the announcement of the next train."

James tried his best to lift her up but couldn't. As precious seconds ticked away, another man dressed in a suit went down onto the track to help James.

James said: "He got her under the arms and I got her by her feet and got her off the track. The other five or six people on the platform looked after her. At this point, she started to come round."

"young people receive a lot of bad press but james should be praised…” – witness linda evans

Witness Linda Evans, from Strood, said: "Nobody seemed to do anything and this young man jumped down onto the track to help her.

"Young people receive a lot of bad press but James should be praised."

Shortly after the woman was carried back onto the platform, James, Olivia and Charles - who were heading to London on a shopping trip - got on the train, which was a few seconds late. James believes those few seconds proved crucial.

He said: "Had the train not been late it would have definitely been on top of her. It was definitely close."

A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman said: "A woman in her 30s fell onto the railway track at Rochester railway station at 10.30am on Wednesday .

"The casualty suffered a head injury and scratches to her arms after the fall. We took her to Medway Maritime Hospital."

Do you know the woman who fainted or the man in a suit who helped James rescue her? Phone the newsroom on 01634 227821 or email medwaymessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk.