THE daughters of a man left severely injured after falling 15ft off a pub balcony have thanked a retired fire chief and nurse who saved his life.

Bethany and Caitlin Edwards, from the Langley Park area of Durham, said the rapid and expert actions of the pair had contributed to their father, David, making a strong recovery following the incident at the Three Tuns Hotel, in Thirsk , North Yorkshire, on May 19.

After 19 weeks battling to recover from serious head injuries and multiple fractures, Mr Edwards has finally returned home from hospital.

Doctors say he will never be able to return to work as a scaffolder and will require 24-hour care in a residential home.

Mr Edwards’ daughters said they were relieved their father was “walking and talking”.

The 12-year-olds said: “We realise this thank-you has been a long time in coming, but we have had a lot to deal with.

“We are both very grateful to Katherine Henderson and Ian Hodgson for tending our Daddy, who had been fit and healthy, when he needed it the most, and we send so much thanks to them both.”

Mr Edwards’ wife, Maureen, said her husband had been with a group friends on their annual trip to a horseracing meeting at Thirsk, but will never be able to attend it again.

The pub, which was crowded due to the meeting, froze in horror as the 46-year-old tumbled backwards after climbing up a winding staircase in the grade II-listed building in the mistaken belief that he was heading for the toilets.

She said: “He simply lost his footing on the staircase when he realised he had walked up the wrong stairs, made a grab for the banister, which unfortunately didn’t help him on this occasion, and fell 15ft to the floor below.

“He was not on his mobile, as we where first led to believe, and this has been confirmed by the police watching a recording of the incident.”

After receiving treatment from nurse Ms Henderson and former Thirsk fire station manager Mr Hodgson, he was taken to hospital where he remained in a coma for four weeks.