A former firefighter and off-duty paramedic leapt into action when a man was knocked off his electric scooter after a collision with a taxi.

The scooter rider was taken to hospital after the crash yesterday afternoon, at the junction of Bouverie Road West and Castle Hill Avenue in Folkestone.

Witness David Scicluna was walking to the nearby shops when he heard a commotion.

The Augusta Gardens resident said: “I heard a shout and a bang, so I turned around.

“The man had been knocked off the scooter, and he was lying in the middle of the road.”

Due to his former career in the London fire service, Mr Scicluna knows basic first aid, so he ran over to the injured rider to help.

He was also joined by an off-duty paramedic who was driving by at the time.

Mr Scicluna said: “I was trying to talk to him and make sure he did not move while the taxi passenger called an ambulance.”

Paramedics arrived and treated the man at the scene before transferring him to the ambulance. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Bouverie Road West was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident.

A spokesperson for South East Coast Ambulance Service said: “We were called at approximately 3.45 pm yesterday to reports of a road traffic collision involving a vehicle and a person on Castle Hill Avenue in Folkestone.

“Crews assessed and treated one person at the scene before taking them to the QEQM hospital in Margate for further medical care.

A police spokesperson said: “We were called at 3.43 pm to reports of a collision involving a car and an electric scooter.

“A man was taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening or life-changing

“The road was clear by around 5.15 pm.”