PENSIONER Colin Bradford has hailed council plumber Scott Joyce a lifesaver after he prevented him falling into a diabetic coma.

The 61-year-old was confused and in desperate need of sugar when Mr Joyce went to his home in Pinnocks Place, Upper Stratton.

Half-an-hour later the former council worker was rapidly losing consciousness and it was Mr Joyce who contacted family members to get first-aid.

Without his quick-thinking, Mr Bradford's family are convinced he would have fallen into a coma and faced a fight for survival.

"From the moment Colin opened the door I thought something was up," said the 28-year-old. "He wasn't clear and appeared in a hurry to sit back down, which made me think he might need some help."

Mr Bradford was at home alone on September 13 while his wife Val visited her father in hospital and his daughter Syree was with Val's mother.

His recurring health problems meant that both women were planning to return as soon as possible.

But for Mr Bradford that would have been too late as his health has recently been fragile.

He has spent much of the last year in hospital because of the diabetes he has lived with since 1978.

In the spring he had a double heart bypass in Bristol.

He said: "I retired through ill health in the 1990s and the diabetes is a constant thing.

"I have insulin but there were heart problems which got worse, so I went to hospital.

"The bypass worked fine but the wire they put into my chest to close the wound was rejected, and I still have it covered with a dressing months later."

For Mr Bradford worse was to come when he contracted clostridium difficile at Bristol Royal Infirmary.

"I went for some tests with the nurses the other week and when they began I was fine.

"But an hour later my condition had deteriorated and I had to receive urgent attention."

It was that rapid change that Mr Joyce encountered when he turned up to fix a basin.

"I went upstairs to start work and then came down to get something from the van.

"I noticed that Colin was on the sofa and didn't look too well so I asked him what I could do.

"He told me he needed sugar quickly and things were getting bad, so I asked him where his family were.

"I got a number from him and we were able to raise the alarm."

With instructions from Syree Mr Bradford ate some chocolate and was able to stabilise his condition.

Mrs Bradford rushed home when she learned of the emergency and is full of praise for Mr Joyce. "He's a lifesaver, there is no other way to describe it," she said.

"No-one would have come into the house for a couple of hours by which time it could quite easily have been too late."

Mr Joyce said: "We are trained to speak with the tenants to check they are all right and this was a case where I had to act.

"I don't think I did anything spectacular but I hope someone would do the same for me."

Samantha Price, customer liaison officer at Swindon Council, said: "People have an image of our workers as being a bit thoughtless and this goes to show how caring they can be."