Three ambulance staff who saved a female police officer from being strangled by an attacker have been given bravery awards.

PC Claire Lyness was pulled to the floor in a stranglehold in a "violent and frenzied" attack by a drunken man when she tried to caution him after a fight in Manningham, Bradford.

WYMAS paramedic Paul Foers and emergency medical technicians Mohammed Saeed and Gemma Richmond had been called to help the man after he was injured in a scuffle.

Mr Foers, 53, of Keighley, said the man hurled abuse and refused aid from the team.

Then he pulled PC Lyness to the ground.

"He tackled her to the floor in a wrestling slam and held her with his arm around her neck," he said.

"We could see her face going white. We had to get him off her as quickly as we could because he was trying to strangle her.

"She escaped without injury but it could have been a lot worse."

PC Lyness and colleague PC Louise Cox nominated the trio for certificates of merit in recognition of their courage.

Presenting the awards at WYMAS headquarters in Birkenshaw, Superintendent Mark Whyman of Keighley police said he was grateful to the crew for "averting a potential disaster" for the Shipley-based officer.

"The WYMAS staff intervened in a very nasty and unprovoked attack on officers, which was of such ferocity that the officers would have sustained serious injury if the ambulance staff hadn't shown such bravery and courage," he said.

WYMAS Bradford and Craven locality manager Rick Bruce said he was proud of their actions.

"The ambulance service has to deal with some very unpleasant people and the staff do find themselves in danger, and it is wonderful to see their efforts recognised," he said.

Mr Foers, who has worked for WYMAS for 34 years, said he had seen an increase in violence on ambulance staff over the past ten years.

"We are given training on how to diffuse difficult situations but we, like the other emergency services, have unfortunately become targets," said the father-of-three.

Mr Saeed, 31, of Bradford, who is known as Sid, said he and Mr Foers managed to free the officer from the man's grip.

"When we were called out we were told a man was wandering around the streets with an injury but when we found him he refused our help and would not get into the ambulance," he said.

"We were just doing our job and our main aim was to free the officer."

Miss Richmond, 21, of Gui-seley, called for back-up and checked the police officer was uninjured.

"It could have turned into a nightmare but luckily no one was seriously injured," she said.

"It is an unpredictable job, and that's why we enjoy it.

"We're there to help people."