A pensioner has praised a local newsagents for saving his life after he had his third heart attack.

Cyril Bailey, from Tovil, wanted to thank KJ's News 4 You in Maidstone for rushing to his aid.

The 86-year-old was shopping in The Mall for his upcoming holiday when he started to feel a pain in his chest.

"We were planning on going to Bognor Regis, and I wanted to get one or two bits before we left," he explained.

"Sadly I never got to get those bits, as in Wilco I started to get pains.

"I thought to myself 'I can't go on shopping', so I headed back towards the car and got to level two.

"I saw the paper shop and was able to get to there – if I hadn't I would have collapsed."

He had his first heart attack in 2006 and the second one in 2012.

"It feels like a ton of weight hitting you in the chest and you get the sweats," he said.

"The paramedics were marvellous and gave 110%.

"I was sent to William Harvey Hospital, where they gave me another stent in my heart."

The 86-year-old says he is now "ready for the scrapyard" but wanted to personally thank the people who assisted him.

He said: "You can’t put it into words – I'm so grateful they were all there to help me in my hour of need.

"I’m a bit tearful thinking about it now."

Cyril regularly pops into the newsagents to grab a copy of the Kent Messenger and lottery tickets.

The team at KJ's News 4 You also sent the retiree a get well soon card to wish him a swift recovery.

Manager Carol Budd commented: "Cyril is just a lovely, chatty man – he comes in every week.

'I'm so grateful they were all there to help me in my hour of need...'

"He told us he knew what he was having, so we grabbed him a chair, called security and dialled 999 straight away.

"The girls that work here know him by name and we wanted to make sure he was OK."

She added: "I'm so pleased he is okay and on the mend. We all look forward to seeing him again soon."

Now the retiree says he is "feeling a lot brighter" after the incident and also recovering from catching Covid.

Cyril said: "I am beginning to eat and enjoy food more.

"I have been walking around the estate to get a bit of fresh air – having a heart attack leaves you very weak in the legs.

"I'm looking forward to doing some reading and gardening once I'm back to normal."