A SON who saved his dad's life when he broke his neck on holiday faces a £7,000 bill to get him home.

Richard Carter, from Cheadle, gave his father Peter mouth-to-mouth first aid after he fell down stairs just three hours into a three-day trip to Dublin.

His dad suffered a broken neck and arm, paralysis, dislocated fingers and a gashed forehead.

Richard, 32, said: "I heard a thud, and it took me a few moments to realise it was dad on the floor.

"He was in a really awkward position, unconscious, covered in blood and he wasn't breathing.

"Fortunately, my company had put me through a first aid course about a year back and that training just kicked in.

"We cleared his airways and I tried to revive him. It probably took about five minutes before he started breathing again. It was terrifying and I was in shock afterwards. "

Peter, 66, a retired joiner, is recovering in hospital in Dublin, but his family are keen to get him to a specialist spinal injuries unit at Ormskirk.

But because he didn't have travel insurance, they face a bill of £7,000 to pay for an air ambulance.

Richard, who works for Manchester law firm DLA Piper, said: "The Irish medical care has been fantastic, but there's a bed for him at the Ormskirk unit.

"He has four children, so we'll get the money between us, or get a loan to cover it."

The Foreign Office says it always advises people to take out insurance as the NHS only pays for treatment in EU countries - not transport home.

A spokesman said: "The Foreign Office does not fund repatriation. The cost can't be paid for from public funds."