A man went into a cardiac arrest after he suffered a head injury when he fell from the back of a lorry in a busy shopping street.

The 50-year-old's heart stopped after the fall in Palace Street, Canterbury yesterday.

Strangers, including a special police constable, ran to the man's aid and performed CPR until emergency services arrived.

Four ambulance crews and police were called at 11.30am, and the air ambulance was also scrambled.

The man was resuscitated before being airlifted to the specialist trauma unit at King's College Hospital in London in a serious condition.

South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman Rich Airey said: "We would like to thank everyone who helped at the scene of this incident in the minutes before our arrival to give the man the best possible chance of survival."