Posted on: Wednesday 5 March 2025
A former headteacher has thanked a council refuse team for saving his life when he had a heart attack.
Peter Scott, from Croesyceiliog, was visiting a post office in Cwmbran in January when he collapsed.
Thankfully, crew member Liam Taylor called into the post office and immediately alerted his colleagues Andrew Jones and Brian Moylan, who had recently undergone refresher CPR.
Liam called the ambulance service while Brian began CPR, which he continued for around 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.
Mr Scott, former headteacher at Abersychan School, was taken to The Grange University Hospital, in Cwmbran, where he was put into an induced coma and remained for three weeks.
Mr Scott, 76, who is a keen runner, said: "I am here thanks to the excellent refuse team, and Brian in particular. The team saved my life.”
“Me and my family couldn’t be more thankful for what they did and to Torfaen council for ensuring the teams receive all necessary training for such emergencies.
“It was an amazing stroke of luck that Liam decided to come into the shop to buy a drink and found me on the floor!"
"I believe I was “elsewhere” for about 20 minutes while Brian gave me CPR and was told that without it, I would have died.”
Brian, 56, from Cwmbran, said: “We thought Peter had died, there didn’t seem to be any life in him.
“After ambulance staff picked him up, we made our way back to the yard feeling sad and low.
“We were informed a few days later by his wife, that Peter had been put into an induced coma, but he was alive.
“As soon as we were able to, we met Peter at his family home. It was very emotional.
“You don’t think anything like this is going to happen in your lifetime, but I am so glad that we are trained for all eventualities. You never know when you are going to have to use the extra skills you have been taught.”
Mr Scott is now recovering at home with his family.
He is attending rehabilitation classes at County Hospital in Pontypool and has replaced running for short walks while he recovers.
Mr Scott said: “I’m aware heart disease runs in my family, but I’ve been told I can get back to running in time as long as I’m careful.”
Cllr Sue Morgan, Executive Member for Waste and Sustainability, said: “I’d like to congratulate our team for responding to the emergency and saving Mr Scott’s life. It’s clear that without their quick actions, the outcome would have been very different.
“We value our crews and invest in training to prepare them for a variety of situations. I wish Mr Scott all the best in his recovery.”