A schoolboy has been hailed a hero after his quick-thinking actions helped save the life of an elderly man who had collapsed in the street.

Bevan Fowler, 15, from Carshalton, was coming out of a shop in Rosehill at lunchtime on Friday, July 16, when he noticed a crowd gathered around an elderly man outside the Woolwich in Wrythe Lane.

The man is thought to have suffered from an epileptic fit and had smashed the back of his head on the concrete after falling over.

He was bleeding heavily from the mouth and the back of his head.

While others stopped and stared, a cool-headed Bevan stepped forward and administered emergency first aid, a skill he learned watching TV programmes The Bill and London's Burning.

Bevan said: "I don't have any formal training it's just something I've learned from watching TV.

"I went up to him, put him in the recovery position and put my hand on his head to give pressure to stop the bleeding.

"There was blood coming out of his mouth as well and so I made sure he kept it open so he wouldn't choke.

"He was drifting in and out of consciousness and I was just trying to keep him awake."

When an ambulance arrived minutes later, Bevan, a pupil at Greenshaw High School, told paramedics of the man's injuries.

"The ambulance came, I told them what had happened and they took him off to St Helier. I'd really like to know how he's doing now," he said.

Bevan's proud mum, Jackie, said: "It's typical of Bevan. I'm so proud of him he'll always help people who are in trouble and he doesn't worry about what anyone else might think.

"He has his faults like any child, but there's not that many kids who would've done that. He took charge of the situation and dealt with it."

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service confirmed Bevan's role was vital.

He said: "We were really impressed by how much he'd done to stabilise this man's condition before the crew arrived by keeping his airway open and stemming the bleeding. Bevan averted what could have been a life-threatening situation."

Despite recognising the importance of his actions, Bevan played down his new-found hero status.

"Some of my mates have said I'm a hero but don't really have a clue what they're talking about. If you know a little bit of first aid you would've done the same thing," he said.

Bevan's headteacher John Fuller was so impressed with his pupil he is putting his name forward for a letter of community commendation. "We're sorry to hear what happened but we were very pleased with the way Bevan reacted.

"He will be commended for his calm and very positive response."

q If you can help us reunite Bevan and the man he helped then email newsdesk@surrey comet.co.uk.