The mother of an overweight man trapped at home after a fall has praised emergency services for getting him to hospital.

Tony Martin, 70, fell at his house in Minster Road, Minster, Sheppey.

When nursing staff and paramedics could not move him, they called in firefighters who strapped him to a turntable ladder.

The drama was watched by bystanders as police closed off the road near the Harps Inn pub to let the ladder bridge the carriageway which is a main route linking Sheerness to Leysdown.

Kathy Martin, 91, watched the rescue operation from the front garden of her home a couple of doors away.

She said: "The firemen were amazing. They pulled out the front window with two suction cups and managed to get Tony onto the ladder. They strapped him on, using pillows to keep him comfortable, and then pulled him out."

She added: "Tony phoned me to tell me not to panic but said he had fallen in the front room and had hit his head on the radiator.

"He told me not to worry because the community nurses were with him. They had tried to get him back into bed but he was still in pain so they called the ambulance. He said he didn't want me in the house at the time.

"Before he put on weight, he would have helped anyone. He is such a kind person."

As she anxiously watched from her garden last Tuesday last month, she says a heart-shaped gold padlock given to her by her son fell off her bracelet. She has now appealed for help to find it.

She said: "It has a huge sentimental value to me. I must have caught it on a bush as I turned to go back inside. Neighbours and friends have been back to look for it but so far we have all drawn a blank.

"We could really do with someone with a metal detector to help."

Another theory is that a passer-by may have spotted the locket on the ground and not known who it belonged to.

Mrs Martin, a mother-of-eight and a great, great, great grandmother originally from London, said: "People must have seen me standing in the garden and wondered what I was doing.

"They probably had no idea I was watching my son. I desperately wanted to be with him. I only went indoors to get a coat because the cold was making me shiver."

She added: "With all my heart, I'd like the padlock back please because Tony bought it for me years ago. It's about an inch long and has no patten. The bracelet never comes off my arm."

If you can help, contact us on 01795 580300 and we will pass on your details to Mrs Martin.