Four police officers from Essex have helped to save an elderly man after finding him unconscious in his car.

Pc Toby Daniel, Pc Emma McIntyre-Major, Pc Brad Brown and Pc Kyle Denning were returning from another incident when they saw that a black Peugeot 2008 had collided with fencing in Little Braxted, near Witham.

They gained entry to the vehicle, discovered the unconscious driver and began to perform CPR until a paramedic arrived.

The man, aged in his 80s, started breathing again and was taken to hospital.

Returning to the vehicle, the officers found a small dog sitting unnoticed in the back of the car, who they looked after until a family member arrived at the scene.

Inspector Ian Carter, of Braintree Local Policing Team, said: “I’m very proud of my team who have provided life-saving support several times in the last few months, often in extremely difficult circumstances. These incidents are highly challenging both physically and emotionally.

“In this incident, they acted swiftly and with considerable skill and tenacity which helped save a man’s life. They are all an absolute credit to the force, achieving one of the key core policing principles of protecting life.

“The car was found in a rural road and it is very unlikely that the man would have been discovered by anyone for many hours. I’m delighted that the man is making steady progress and hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident, which took place at around 11.30pm on Wednesday, April 25, or who saw the car just before the collision is asked to contact Pc Jonathan Ward at Stanway Roads Policing Unit on 101, quoting incident 1258 of April 25.