UPDATE: Dad thanks commuters who '˜rescued' his son after he stopped breathing at Peterborough Station

Colin Bacon (46) and ex-army serviceman Michael McKelvey (45) rushed to the eight-year-old’s aid on Saturday morning as he stopped breathing on a station platform having swallowed his tongue and turned blue.

The boy’s dad Peter has now come forward to thank the pair for “rescuing” his son Matthew. He said: “They were calm and the handover to the medics was amazing.”

Peter, wife Kris, and sons Matthew and Billy (11) were on their way from Grantham to Paris at the time.

Peter said Matthew “gets extra excited about trains (loves them) and missed his footing and just slipped backwards off the bench.”

His son, he said, is “a bit of a miracle child” having survived a rare illness at birth which put him in intensive care for a few months.

He then caught a rare form of encephalitis (swelling of the brain) which left him unable to walk or talk for a time.

Peter, who also thanked the emergency services and station staff for their help, added: “Matthew is recovering and it is another step in a long journey to recovery.”

Leonie Bacon (31) and husband Colin of Helpston, and Amelia McKelvey (45) and husband Michael of Folksworth, were on another platform when they heard shouting. Leonie said: “My husband and my friend’s husband ran over the bridge to help. He was going blue, and Michael said to the mother, ‘you have to let me help you’.

“He put him in the recovery position and my husband pulled his tongue out while Michael moved his diaphragm and he started breathing.

“If they were not there it would probably have been too late. We are just happy to hear the boy is doing well.”