A CREW member involved with the filming of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War has been hailed a real life superhero – after saving a dying woman’s life.

Only known by his first name, driver Alex abandoned his car near to the Hollywood production team’s Durham base camp to give CPR to the mother who crashed her car having suffered what is believed to have been a heart attack at the wheel.

An eye-witness, who asked not to be named, told The Northern Echo the woman stopped breathing at one point but was revived before paramedics rushed her to hospital.

“He saved her life,” the eye witness added. “Without it (the driver’s intervention) she would have died.”

The witness said she believed the woman suffered a heart attack causing her to crash her car on the roundabout at Durham City park and ride at Belmont at about 9am on Thursday morning.

A passer-by is said to have pulled her from the Ford Fiesta before realising she was not breathing.

“One of the actor’s drivers was driving out from here and saw what happened,” she said.

“He went over and quickly started giving her CPR for a while until the paramedics came.

“They got the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance and she opened her eyes.”

It is understood the woman was recovering in hospital yesterday and the family of the casualty have visited the filming team’s base camp to thank the crew member.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed that a report was made at 9.10am on Thursday of a woman collapsed in her car not breathing at Belmont Park and Ride.

He said paramedics performed CPR on the woman, in her 50s, before taking her to University Hospital of North Durham.

Durham City has become a hive of activity in the last week following the arrival of teams working on the all-star blockbuster. The cathedral was closed at around lunchtime on Thursday for filming which continued until Saturday.

It is also due to be closed for a further day on Tuesday, though the cathedral could not confirm it was for filming.

Teams had been building the set for more than a week in preparation for the shoot of the film – starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth and Zoe Saldana.

Fans have been celebrity-spotting in the hope of catching a glimpse of the world-famous superheroes while shooting scenes at Durham Cathedral.

Lucky pair Beth King and Kacey Blenkinsop both got the chance to meet Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, at Ramside Hall Hotel where it is believed he has been staying.