A LANDLORD and two good Samaritans owe themselves a stiff drink after coming together to save a man’s life in a Petersfield bar.

Jake Benstead teamed up with two diners at the Folly Wine Bar to give lifesaving CPR to a choking customer last Sunday.

The victim “turned purple” and stopped breathing but was resuscitated during a 25-minute wait for an ambulance.

The diner who choked was taken to hospital and is recovering well according to his girlfriend.

Efforts are now being made to track down the two men who helped save his life and give them the recognition they deserve, as neither left their name or number with the landlord.

The event has highlighted the importance of basic first aid and public-use defibrillators as one near Waitrose was used by the heroic trio.

Mr Benstead thought he had forgotten his first aid training until it was put to the test. Thankfully he remembered some of it just in time, with the landlord now urging everyone to learn CPR in case the unthinkable happens.

He said: “The diner started to choke and took himself to the toilet to try and dislodge it, but he couldn’t get the food out and his girlfriend started screaming for help.

“One chap went into help, then another, and the three of us started doing the Heimlich manoeuvre but that didn’t work. He turned purple and wasn’t breathing, so we all took turns to do CPR on him until the ambulance arrived.”

Mr Benstead added: “Everybody has done a bit of first aid but when it’s there in front of you it’s horrible, but after we did CPR his colour came back and he started to breathe.

“All I remembered was applying three deep breaths. The other chap remembered the compression so it was a real group effort.”

Mystery surrounds the identity of the two men although one is reportedly a firefighter who previously worked at the Taro Centre.

Their work certainly impressed Aisa Fraser of Saving Lives Together, a charity determined to teach basic CPR and defibrillator training to the widest possible audience.

They provide free training with sessions taking place in Basingstoke and Buriton early next year with details on their Facebook page.

She said: “What we’re trying to teach is community responsibility for everyone to carry out CPR and know how to use defibrillators.

“As this incident shows, we can keep people out and shorten their hospital stay if everyone knows what to do.”