A teenage girl, who is a pupil at a North Norfolk special school, saved her mum from choking to death by using a medical procedure she had seen on television.

When 14-year-old Amelia Hosking, who has learning difficulties and goes to Sidestrand Hall school, saw her mum in trouble she called an ambulance.

But, concerned the paramedics would not be able to arrive in time, she took matters into her own hands and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre, putting her hands on her mum's abdomen, after remembering it from a real-life television medical drama.

Proud mum Sharon, 41, said she owed her life to her daughter who has learning difficulties and who remained calm throughout the drama at their Bowthorpe home.

She was eating a small chocolate nut bar at about 9pm, adding: 'One of the nuts got lodged in my throat and I couldn't breathe. I went blue in the face and staggered over to the kitchen sink.'

Amelia had gone to bed and was upstairs, but heard her mother choking.

The youngster said: 'I thought it was maybe another asthma attack. As soon as I saw her I knew something was wrong.

'I rang the ambulance but knew they would be too long and this popped into my head because I have been watching medical programmes.'

Amelia used the technique and dislodged the nut just in time, as her mum was starting to faint from lack of oxygen.

Mrs Hosking said: 'I was absolutely in tears afterwards and so proud of her. I hugged her and said thank you. She was very calm and she didn't panic.

'When the paramedics came they said Amelia had done their job for them.'

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said; 'What she did potentially saved her mother's life and we plan to recognise this with the presentation of a certificate of commendation by the crew involved.'