A community patrol in Wisbech clocked its first major success after coming to the aid of a Lithuanian woman who had collapsed in the street.

Councillor Steve Tierney, who helped launch the Wisbech Citizens’ Patrol, said: “Our intervention may have made a big difference to one person’s life. At the very least it assured they were safe and well.”

He said that towards the end of a walk one of the team, led by Dave Topgood, encountered a lady who was laying unconscious in the rain “soaking wet, cold and unresponsive”.

Cllr Tierney said a first aider was quickly driven to the scene but the woman was “completely unresponsive, still and shaking with cold and wet. Her location, in the shadows against a large wall, meant she may well not have been spotted by anybody else until the next day.”

The patrol members used a blanket to keep her warm whilst an ambulance was called.

“As the lady warmed up she began to respond and it became clear was not English,” he said.

“We could not smell a lot of alcohol on her and did not think she was just drunk. But even if she had been, she could not have been left sleeping – with little protection from the elements – in the rain.

“The ambulance arrived but struggled to communicate with the lady. She had warmed up enough now to communicate a little, but was struggling to make herself understood. The ambulance guys determined she was Lithuanian.

“Luckily, Citizens’ Patrol has a helper who speaks Lithuanian and we called him out to translate.

“By now the lady had stopped shivering and was warming up enough to communicate better. The ambulance men were able to examine her and get some answers as to who she was and where she lived.”

Cllr Tierney told the story on his blog and said “it was fair to say she had had a bad time of it, by all accounts. When everybody was sure there was no immediate risk of danger to her health, the police were called to get her to safety.

“Citizens’ Patrol found the lady, identified her situation, kept her safe, helped her get warm again, brought in assistance, and stayed throughout using our torches and lanterns to help the professionals do their job.

“When we were sure the situation was safely in hand we left the police to resolve the problem. Both the ambulance and police crews appreciated our assistance and assured us we have acted appropriately in the circumstances.”

He added: “Anybody can have a bad day and find themselves in a dark place. “Anybody can be alone and vulnerable and unable to help themselves. Citizens’ Patrol was there tonight to make sure they were NOT alone.”