A BLACKBURN police constable has won her second award for bravery after helping to resuscitate a man who had taken a drug overdose.

PC Nicola Furness, 31, won the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Award after resuscitating the man when called to investigate suspected drug taking at a house in Stonyhurst Close, Blackburn.

The resuscitation award is her second LSHS award in her 10-year police career, an achievement police said today was 'very rare.'

Nicola, whose father was also a police officer, resuscitated an elderly man several years ago after coming across him during another patrol in Whalley Range.

Nicola's superiors have also praised her bravery and said to get the award twice is rare because the police force have their own awards and commendations. The LSHS award is only given to people from the Merseyside, Lancashire and Cheshire area who have shown bravery or saved a life.

Chief Superintendent David Mallaby said: "I just think sometimes that we take for granted the fantastic work that police officers do and we need to recognise this so that people can remember and be recognised not only by the force but by the public as well."

On her arrival at the house PC Furness saw two men running from the scene while a third man crouched over the body of the fourth.

She quickly made her way to the man on the floor, who she recognised as a well-known drug abuser. PC Furness could not find his pulse and immediately instructed the third man in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and carried out chest compressions herself.

This continued for four minutes, until a pulse was regained at which time she placed the man in the recovery position.

But within minutes the man's pulse had stopped again and PC Furness resumed the resuscitation. Her actions undoubtedly saved his life.

Nicola said: "I wasn't frightened but I was shaking and trying to remember my training from the first aid course. When I first saw him I didn't think he would come round because he was so blue. I got him into the recovery position but he went again. The ambulance didn't take long but it seemed to because time just slowed down.

"I was aware that I had saved him but I could not stop shaking afterwards and just felt a lot of relief that he had come round."

The Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society was founded following a hurricane that wreaked havoc in the Irish channel and the Mersey area on January 7 1839. The were no funds available to aid the victims so a public meeting was held and monies were raised to assist the victims and reward the heroes.

Lancashire Evening Telegraph Editor Kevin Young, who jointly presented the award, said: "It is a great achievement by Nicola. It is rare enough to take one award but this is her second.

"This is just another example of the fine work carried out by our police force."