THE chairman of Kerrier district council, Terry Rowe, was recovering in hospital this week after suffering a "serious" heart attack.

On the day he was admitted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, former Kerrier chairman Tommy Bray was discharged - having also suffered a heart attack.

Mr Rowe, 60, was admitted to the coronary care unit at Royal Cornwall Hospital on August 24.

His secretary, Richard Thomas, said the heart attack was serious, but Mr Rowe was saved by the prompt response from the emergency services.

Mr Rowe's wife Betty this week praised the efficiency of the Westcountry ambulance service, who rushed Mr Rowe to hospital. "Without them he might not be here," she said.

A hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that he was in a comfortable condition. He has since been moved to a normal ward where he is making steady progress, and awaiting the results of tests.

Tommy Bray, 64, a former chairman of Kerrier and an active member of the district council, was also admitted to hospital with a heart attack last month, and co-incidentally was discharged on the same day Mr Rowe was admitted.

Mr Bray, from Four Lanes, spent 12 days in the coronary care unit. Expressing his thanks to everyone who helped him, he said: "I am taking it as a warning and will be easing up."

Letters have gone out to all members regarding both members.

A spokeswoman for Kerrier said: "Members and officers of Kerrier district council send their best wishes to both councillors and their families, and hope for a continued recovery."

During Mr Rowe's absence, his civic duties as chairman will be carried out by vice-chairman, coun Carolyn Rule.