A St Albans police officer has been honoured with a national award after saving the life of a woman suffering a heart attack after a drug overdose.

Special Constable Rob Dawes was flagged down by a bystander in London Colney High Street on October 14 last year to help a 19-year-old woman who was slumped on a bench.

Although the woman was virtually incoherent, SC Dawes continued to question her until he managed to find out what drugs she had taken.

Paramedics arrived to take the woman to hospital, but she suffered a heart attack while in the ambulance.

SC Dawes was able to tell the ambulance crew what she had taken, enabling them to treat her accordingly and resuscitate her.

Hospital staff later said that the woman, who recovered from her ordeal, would have died if SC Dawes had not found out what sort of drugs were involved.

He has now been awarded a Royal Humane Society Certificate of Commendation for saving her life, and won the personal praise of the society's secretary Andrew Chapman.

Mr Chapman said: "This was a life and death situation. And it is only thanks to the quick-thinking SC Dawes in realising at once that identification of the type of drug was essential and then his perseverance in continuing to question the woman until he got the answer, that she is alive today.

"He did a wonderful job and as a result a life was saved. He richly deserves the award he is to receive."

No date has yet been fixed for the presentation of the award, but it is expected to take place in the near future.

Special Constable Rob Dawes said: "I'm hugely honoured and grateful to be given this award. Being a Special is a tremendously rewarding yet often challenging experience, with the opportunity to make a real difference to one's local community.

"I'm very lucky to be working alongside a wonderful team of regular officers in St Albans and I continue to benefit greatly from their training and guidance."

The Royal Humane Society is a national body which honours bravery in saving a human life, including for non-healthcare professionals who perform a successful resuscitation.

The society was founded in 1774 to promote resuscitation techniques and has given over 200,000 awards.