A supermarket worker has been hailed a hero for saving the life of a three-year-old boy who was struggling to breathe after choking on a sweet while out shopping with his family.

Antony Bainbridge, who works at Asda Chorley in Bolton Street, saw the little boy in difficulty, and gave him several thrusts to his back with the palm of his hand until the sweet flew out.

Anthony, 57, who's only worked at the store for seven months, said: "I was working on the late shift and this lady just came running and screaming towards the customer service desk holding her little boy up in the air.

"It was fairly evident that he was choking on something as he wasn't making any noises or crying.

"I don't think he was breathing as his airwaves were completely blocked. I knew I had to get out what was stuck in there as soon as possible."

Before working for Asda, Antony spent 25 years working on the railways in Canada and the UK, where he underwent annual first-aid training.

He said: "Because he was so small I got hold of him, went down on one knee and put him at an angle so his head was much lower than his feet and did what you are supposed to do for choking at that age, and that's back thrusts using the heel of your hand between the shoulder blades.

"I did it twice and then on the third go a very large sweet flew out and landed on the floor and he started to cry.

"His mum was just sat on the floor hysterical, which is understandable, so I gave the little boy back to her as he was scared.

"It was all over in about 45 seconds. Any longer and it could have been fatal, but luckily it wasn't so I guess I did save his life.

"I just think we were both at the right place at the right time. I'd do it again, if need be, in an instant. If somebody needs help then I'll help them.

"Because I've received so much training in first aid over the years you just go into a kind of life-saving mode. You don't think, you just do. You don't really have any time to have any emotional reaction at all.

"The mother was with another lady and a small child, and their English wasn't the best but she understood when I kept saying 'he's okay'. I sat them down in the café area to chill out and relax for a while before they thanked me and left."

Store manager Andrew Marsden, who nominated Antony for an Asda service superstar award, said everyone in the store was proud of him.

He said: "Quick-thinking Anthony was quite literally a lifesaver.

"A highly distressed mother ran into the self-scan corral with her son who was having great difficulty in breathing.

"Antony, who has undertaken lots of first aid training over the years, quickly realised the child was choking and immediately began to initiate back thrusts.

"Thankfully for all concerned, a sweet fell to the floor and the child began to breathe again.

"Needless to say we had an incredibly grateful mother, and a colleague team really proud of Antony whose calm and quick thinking made a real difference that day."