A FORMER homeless man says he has saved the lives of seven people as he wanders the streets helping others.

Every night David Russell walks along Worthing seafront and stops to talk to anyone he sees who “looks like they are feeling down”.

One evening the 49-year-old saw a women running towards the sea in Worthing and knew he could help.

He chased after her and was able to catch up before she reached the water.

David said: “I asked her if she was all right and she told me she wanted to die.

“She was upset, she had recently lost her son, but I managed to have a conversation with her.

“We sat on a bench and talked. I told her ‘you don’t need to do this, your family and your friends need you’.

“I talked about my own experiences as well - living on the street and becoming deaf – and she could see that everyone faces difficult times and we can get through them.”

David found himself homeless for the first time in Manchester as a teenager. He moved to the city with a former girlfriend only to find she already had a partner living there.

He said: “It just didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I stayed there for about a year, sleeping in shop fronts and passageways.”

In the years that followed David moved around several towns and cities including Bognor, Brighton and York .

There were several occasions he was able to secure short-term accommodation but each time he ended up back on the streets.

He said: “I would always stay with a couple of friends. With my deafness it was important to have people around or I could have been attacked.”

Five years ago David was able to find accommodation in Worthing and he has stayed in housing ever since.

During this time he started his Facebook page, Worthing Nightlife Photography, in which he visits pubs in the area and photographs visitors.

David said: “One of the times I became homeless all I had was my camera.

“I started taking landscapes then began asking pubs for permission to take photos at venues on nights out as a way of meeting new people and making friends.”

The page has proved very popular with almost 10,000 followers and David says “now everyone in the town recognises him”.