A passenger says he owes his life to two railway workers who sprang into action with a defibrillator when he suffered a heart attack.

Laura McMahon, 33, and Sebastian Szymanski, 45, were working at Maidstone East station when a customer ran into the office saying a man had collapsed suddenly in the car park.

Passenger Stuart Legg, 56, had been on a day trip to London with his fiancée but had returned early, not feeling well and thinking he had indigestion.

Laura said: "When something like that happens the adrenaline just takes over. I grabbed the defibrillator and Seb and I headed to the car park where another passenger was already performing CPR."

The pair dialled 999 but before paramedics could arrive, they were able to use the defibrillator to save Stuart’s life.

Seb added: "I put the phone on loudspeaker so we could follow the instructions being given to us. The defibrillator talked us through what to do and was so easy to use. It analyses the patient’s heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock when needed. Neither of us hesitated to help because in that kind of situation, you just do what you need to do."

Thanks to the pair, Stuart made a full recovery and Laura, who has since become friends with Stuart's partner, Natalie, has even been invited to their wedding.

Stuart said: "I became ill very suddenly, suffering a near fatal cardiac arrest as I came off the train. If it wasn't for the swift actions of the staff and the use of the newly fitted defibrillator, I wouldn't be here with my family today.

"They saved my life – they are heroes. This piece of equipment is essential and could save other people’s lives, as it did mine."

Southeastern highlighted the importance of having defibrillators on site as it announced all Kent stations have now been provided with one.

The rail network announced automated external defibrillators, known as AEDs, have been rolled out to 164 stations and 17 depots across Kent, London and parts of East Sussex.

The move promises to benefit staff, customers and local communities as it can increase survival rates whenever cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals.

According to the British Heart Foundation, more than 30,000 cardiac arrests take place outside hospitals, with the survival rate less than one in 10.

If a defibrillator is administered within the first minute of someone collapsing, the survival rate can be as high as 90%.

For more information on Southeastern’s defibrillators, including a map of where to find them, click here.

David Wornham, passenger services director at Southeastern, said: "One of our key objectives at Southeastern is to get everyone home safely every day and having defibrillators at every single one of our stations will play a key part in that.

"It is vital to have them in accessible public places. At train stations, they can be used by staff, customers or members of the public nearby. If someone is in cardiac arrest, the first thing to do is dial 999. The operator will be able to talk the caller through where their nearest defibrillator is and provide a pin code to access it from a secure cabinet.

"No training is required to operate these defibrillators – the unit will talk you through exactly what you have to do. I can understand some people may feel hesitant in using an AED but they really are very easy to operate. We have staff who have saved passengers’ lives with a defibrillator so we know how vital they are."