A TEENAGER who nearly choked to death on a humbug was reunited with the man who saved her life -- and said: "He's a real sweetie!"

Jacqueline Delaney, 14, was turning blue in the face outside Frydays Chip Shop in Blackburn Market when worker Bill Rawson, 59, came to her aid and dislodged the offending sweet.

The reunion was the first time they had spoken since the incident two weeks ago and Jacqueline thanked him for his quick action.

She said: "I can't really remember much but it was really frightening and when he gave me a drink afterwards I was still shaking.

"This has definitely put me off eating hard sweets and I've not had any since."

Jacqueline's mother Bernadette and her sister Yvonne, 15, said if it hadn't been for Bill, Jacqueline would be dead.

The incident happened after the sisters had set off from their house on Francis Street, Mill Hill, to go shopping in Blackburn town centre. The St Bede's High School students had bought some sweets but as they walked through the market Jacqueline started choking.

Yvonne was frantic as she watched her sister's face turn blue.

"She was eating a humbug and started coughing," she said. "You could tell the sweet was lodged in her throat. I was shouting and screaming.

"Everybody rushed around and I slapped her back but nothing happened.

"She was purple, the humbug had been stuck for about 40 seconds. Other people had come out but hadn't been able to do anything.

"Someone phoned for an ambulance but she spat the sweet out thanks to Bill and it was cancelled.

"I was so relieved when she was OK."

Bill, of Willows Lane, Accrington, who works at Frydays, said he saw Jacqueline was in trouble and noticed that other people's attempts to save her had failed.

He trained as a first aider in another job so he knew to try the Heimlich Manoeuvre. Several quick sharp upward jolts dislodged the sweet.

"Her sister was panicking and had started crying," he said. "Jacqueline was standing up but you could see she was in some distress.

"She was definitely going a different colour. I thought I couldn't stand here and let her die. You can't panic. The more you do, the worse the situation gets. I had to stay calm. I was pleased to have helped."

He added that he had only needed to use first aid a couple of times before for people who had passed out and needed to be put in the recovery position.

Yvonne's mother was shocked when she heard about the incident.

"I couldn't believe it," she said.

"I thought of what could have been. I could have been burying her instead of talking about it.

"We are so grateful."