Cuts and tears are the third most common reason for people needing to go to A&E in the UK. In the majority of cases the cut can be dealt with at home - a quick plaster and it's as right as rain. However, what should you do if the wound is more serious?

In our film, Alice Edwards was running late. In a rush to catch her bus she wasn't concentrating properly whilst making her sandwiches, the knife slipped and she was left with a nasty gash to the palm of her hand.

On the streets of Cwmbran we asked members of the public to offer suggestions as to how they would help Alice. Advice was varied and included suggestions to "run it under a tap", "tie something around her wrist to stem the flow" and even "take off my sock and wrap it around the wound"!

We obviously needed some expert advice, which was supplied in the form of First Responder and St John volunteer Richard Jones.

Richard says it's important to act quickly when you're faced with a serious cut. It can be life-threatening if a person is losing a lot of blood as the body can go into shock and begin to shut down.

Here are Richard's top tips if you're faced with a serious cut.

• DON'T wash the wound under running water. This will wash away important clotting agents which will help the wound to dry up. You also run the risk of infecting the wound with bacteria that may be in the water.
• Cover the wound with a sterile dressing if you have one. If you don't have one handy then use something clean like a tea-towel or kitchen roll. If you really don't have anything available then use the patient's own hand to press down over the wound.
• DON'T use a tourniquet (tying something around an arm or leg to try and cut off the blood flow). Instead, apply direct pressure to the wound site.
• If the blood flow is particularly bad then get the patient to elevate the wound above their heart. Blood doesn't flow as easily 'uphill' so this will slow down the bleeding.
• Sit the patient down as they may feel faint from blood loss or even just from the sight of blood.
• Monitor the casualty for signs of shock. If they become pale and sweaty and have lost a lot of blood then call an ambulance or get them to hospital as soon as you can.