A HEROIC dog walker came to the rescue of a stricken pensioner who had collapsed after suffering a suspected stroke.

Good Samaritan Andy Bade, 54, was out walking his pooch in Gardeners Road, Halstead, early one morning when he heard cries for help coming from a bungalow belonging to friend Ray Videl.

Andy, who lives in nearby Kingfisher Meadows, approached the property and quickly discovered it was Mr Videl, 69, who had been calling for help after he collapsed the night before.

Andy said: “He said he had been lying there for nine and a half hours.

“I rushed back home to get a stepladder and then came back to the bungalow and used it to climb up through one of the windows to get inside.

“Poor old Ray was in a bit of a state. He said he had been trying to make as much noise as he could to get neighbours’ attention.

“I had to drag him along the floor and get help from a neighbour to get him sat up on a chair.

“I checked him over to see if he was OK and rang for an ambulance.

“I sat with Ray for an hour or so and then the paramedics arrived. They took him to hospital and he seems to be doing OK now.

“He’s had a few strokes before so they think it may have been another mini one.”

Andy, who has his own YouTube channel called ‘Homemade cooking on a budget’, has played down his act of heroism and insisted he would do anything for his “mate” Mr Videl, who he has previously helped with gardening.

And he has now called on his fellow residents in Halstead to display what he calls “old-style community spirit” by checking on neighbours on a regular basis to ensure they are OK.

Andy added: “There are a lot of people in this town who are either living on their own or who are elderly.

“It doesn’t take too much just to knock on a neighbour’s door just to check if they are OK, especially if you haven’t seen them for a while.

“Ray said to me if I hadn’t found him, he could have been in a lot of trouble and would have been stuck on the floor for days.

“I moved here nine years ago from Upminster and loved the way the people of Halstead seemed to come together.

“We need to get back to how it used to be with a strong community spirit and everyone looking out for each other.”