A Frenchman with late-stage cancer has saved the life of an ambulance driver who had a heart attack whilst driving him to hospital, doctors say.

Christian Nayet, 60, took the wheel of the ambulance after the driver, Jean-Francois Pina, complained that he had pins and needles in his fingers.

He then rushed Mr Pina to a hospital in the nearby city of Lens.

Doctors operated on Mr Pina within 10 minutes of his arrival, Mr Nayet told the Voix du Nord newspaper.

An emergency room manager, Frederic Allienne, said that without Mr Nayet's help, Mr Pina "could have died".

Mr Pina was taking Mr Nayet for a scan at a hospital in Lille last week when he fell ill.

Mr Nayet told the Voix du Nord newspaper that he offered Mr Pina some of the medicine he was carrying, before telling him: "'Give me the keys, trust me! My life is not in danger, but yours is!'"

"We drove fast," Mr Nayet said. "I couldn't find the siren, but I managed to turn the lights on and told him to put his arm out the window to signal to the cars to let us pass."

Another ambulance was later found for Mr Nayet to take him to his scan.