A Letchworth woman has heaped praise onto an army of helpers who came to her husband’s aid after he received a nasty head injury at the Letchworth tip.

It was a routine late morning trip to the household waste centre in Blackhorse Road for Robin Norton on Saturday – but things quickly turned nasty after he tripped over a twig at the top of the stairs as he flung his rubbish into one of the recycling containers.

Robin – who had a brain tumour removed in 2008 – hit his forehead against the railings at the top of the stairs, causing a horseshoe-like cut which produced a lot of blood.

First on the scene was a fellow tip-user, who guided Robin back down the stairs, before the five-strong workforce leapt into action.

The tip – run by Herts County Council – has been much-maligned over the past year, with many bemoaning the long queues to drop off rubbish.

But once Robin’s wife, Lyn, arrived on the scene – thanks to her friend Jackie Roberts who dropped everything to ferry her there – she was taken aback by the care and consideration offered by the members of staff.

“The manager and his team were amazing,” she said. “One man had already applied a bandage, another was making cups of tea.

“They closed the site – which had plenty of cars queuing to enter as it was a very busy period – to allow for an ambulance to enter.

“The manager had everything under control – I could have given him a hug.

“Robin was not in any distress, but I was worried that he would be sick or faint.”

After an ambulance could not get there within the hour, Lyn and Jackie decided that the best thing to do was to drive Robin to Lister Hospital in Stevenage themselves.

“Everyone was rushed off their feet at the hospital, but we were seen by a doctor at about 5pm,” Lyn said this week.

“They originally said that they would not be able to do the plastic surgery required on Robin’s head wound until Friday, but after we told them we had health matters to attend to in the week they agreed to do it there and then.

“The doctor and the plastics lady were fantastic – angels on feet.

“Robin is fine now, although he looks like he has been in a fight.

“We want to say thank you to everyone who came to our aid on the day – it was a blessing.”