A five-year-old boy has been praised for his quick thinking after he called the number on the side of his toy ambulance when his mum fell unconscious.

Josh dialled 112 after he and his younger brother found his mum, who had slipped into a diabetic coma, lying on the floor at their home in Telford last month, West Mercia Police said.

Telford local policing commander Superintendent Jim Baker said: “This was an incredible thing for Josh to do. His quick thinking saw him ring the number on his toy ambulance as he was worried about his mum.

“He was very brave and stayed on the line while we were able to get to the family’s home and make sure his mum got medical assistance.”

Dialling 112 – the European emergency number – is effectively the same as dialling 999 and works in countries throughout the European Union.

Josh spoke to a police operator, who sent officers to his home, where his mum was treated by paramedics.

Josh was later invited for a tour of his local station, where he was shown round by officers including Mr Baker.

“Josh has already proved he would make a brilliant police officer in the future; hopefully we’ll see him again when he’s old enough as a new recruit,” Mr Baker said.