A HERO who saved a man from killing himself has spoken of his disgust after passers-by ignored his calls for help.

Liam Pengelly, from Benfleet, was driving home from work when he saw a man, thought to be in his thirties, veering towards the edge of Rayleigh Weir on the other side of the railings.

The man looked as if he was contemplating jumping.

Horrified, Liam attempted to assist the troubled man as fast he could.

The 24-year-old said: “I was doing a late night at work and as I was driving home I approached Rayleigh Weir around 9.50pm, and saw a man hanging over the other side of the railings.

“I was shocked. He looked rough and had no shoes on. He was obviously in a really bad place. I stopped my car in the slip road and went around the back so he couldn’t see me as I didn’t want him to see me running towards him and decide to jump.

“I grabbed him from behind and just held onto him as tightly as I could - he was really calm but he was pushing against me trying to get away and saying he didn’t want to be here.”

Initially, Liam wasn’t quite strong enough to pull the man back from the edge.

The Good Samaritan was “shocked” and “disgusted” at the lack of help offered by the public and was worried he would soon have to witness a man end of his own life after having already lost someone close to him through suicide.

Liam added: “I was shouting at the top of my voice for someone to help me and no one came to his aid. I was shocked. Someone had even stopped and was looking and I said: ‘Are you going to help me or what?’ and he just got back in his car and drove away.

“There was even people driving passed in their cars shouting ‘don’t jump’ but they didn’t stop.

“Someone even shouted: ‘Let him jump!’

“Society can be disgusting. I couldn’t believe it - that could have been someone’s son or brother.”

“It was horrible, I was very shaken up when I got home. I would really like to know if he is okay and what’s happened to him.”

Luckily, a man pulled up in a Transit van and came to help.

The two of the men together were then able to get the man over the other side of the railings and eventually walk him over to the van.

Liam is hoping to get in touch with the man to suggest he calls him if ever wants someone to talk to, and even wants to offer him a job at his mechanic workshop.