A student dressed in a ballgown on her way to a graduation ball ran to the aid of a teenager who had fallen from rocks in St Andrews.

Lucy Reis, 20, was praised by the Coastguard for helping the teenager after the alarm was raised last Saturday.

She threw off her shoes and dashed across the rocks to the side of the unconscious girl and helped check if she was injured before Coastguard volunteers arrived.

The teenager, believed to be from the Cupar area, was airlifted to hospital by helicopter.

Coastguards commended Ms Reis for her quick-thinking.

The history and psychology student said: "We were on Castle Sands and there were some other people on the beach and a lot of commotion and people getting upset. They were saying that there had been an accident and someone had been hurt.

"I took my shoes off and clambered over the rocks. There was a girl lying on the rocks round the corner near a pool of water. She appeared to be unconscious.

"I don't know first aid but we thought she should be kept still. She was not responding and I checked her head for injuries.

"We were trying to get her to respond which she did after a while.

"She started to throw up so we turned her onto her side and kept talking to her and asking her name."

Three of the Coastguards team who came to the rescue are full-time members of staff at St Andrews University - technical manager Dr Cameron Rae, IT systems team leader Duncan Brannen, and sustainability manager David Stutchfield.

Joe Mitchell, senior coastal operations officer, HM Coastguard, praised Ms Reis and another student, Andrew Robbins, who also helped the girl.

He said: "Lucy and Andrew provided vital care in initially ensuring the casualty's breathing was not compromised by the water.

"HM Coastguard are grateful for the time and effort provided by its volunteer rescue teams located around the country who provide this essential rescue capability.

"Importantly, HM Coastguard also recognise the support given by the team members' employers, the University of St Andrews, who allow them, when possible and at the sound of the pagers going off, to leave their jobs at a moment's notice to provide this invaluable service."