Kier operatives Gary Henderson and Lee Bailey were working on a contract for Berneslai Homes in Barnsley for 84-year-old resident Douglas De-ath when he collapsed after suffering a stroke.

The builders managed to catch De-ath before he hit the floor, made him comfortable and called for an ambulance.

Lesley Matthews, Mr De-ath’s granddaughter, said: “We are so grateful to the entire Kier team; everyone has been brilliant and so supportive through this difficult time.

“We have received so many cards and messages from our friends at Kier wishing my grandfather well.

“I pop in twice a day to visit my grandad so if the workmen hadn’t been in, no one would have found him until late in the evening. As I see it, the Kier operatives saved my grandad’s life.”

The incident comes just a few weeks after Mick Mustafa, a Kier Building Maintenance Islington operative working on a contract for Ascham Homes, was travelling through Chingford on a routine maintenance job when he noticed black smoke billowing out of a block of flats on Hale End Road.

After immediately notifying the emergency services, Mustafa rushed into the building to warn residents.

He knocked on every door in the building making sure everyone evacuated the premises and all the residents of Hale End Road flats escaped the fire unharmed.

Mustafa’s supervisor at Kier Building Maintenance, Chris Moyle, said: “Although we wouldn’t advise people to enter a burning building, we are very proud of Mick and his brave actions. The tenants of the flats are very lucky he was passing!”

Mustafa said: “I didn’t think about being a hero, it was just an automatic response. I wanted to get everyone out of the building as soon as possible. The corridors were engulfed in smoke so we had to act quickly. I’m just glad everyone is ok and there were no tragedies.”