A young girl saved her brother's life with first aid skills she learned as a "badger" with St John Ambulance.

Quick-thinking Hollie Burr, who is eight years old, helped her six-year-old brother Brody as he started choking, slapping him on the back to dislodge a lump of food in his throat.

Their mother Jo said that Brody teased his older sister by mimicking choking noises for a "joke" but the little girl realised something was wrong when his face changed colour.

Hollie joined St John Ambulance's Epsom Badger Sett around 18 months ago, and has learned first aid as well as other skills that the health charity teaches children.

Jo said: "It happened in a split second and I'm so pleased Hollie knew what to do. Just a couple of weeks before, Brody had started to mimic choking noises as a bit of a joke.

"The day before this incident I had given him a telling off, warning him about the boy who cried wolf."

Jo added that she thought Brody was playing around again, but that Hollie noticed something was wrong and intervened.

"She gave him the back slaps as she had been taught at St John Ambulance and a piece of chicken covered in mucous shot out," she said. "I'm extremely proud."