DEFIBRILLATORS need to be more widely available, especially in rural communities where it takes longer for ambulances to arrive, a Stroud district councillor has said.

Councillor Steve Lydon is calling for the life-saving machines, which work by delivering an electric shock to the heart when someone is having a cardiac arrest, to become commonplace in rural villages.

The Labour councillor, who represents The Stanleys, is currently liaising with local parish and town councils about how they could lead fundraising efforts for the devices within their catchment areas.

He said some support for defibrillators was available from the South West Ambulance Service and from the British Heart Foundation to help with their installation and training.

“Defibrillators really do make a difference in saving lives. When a heart attack strikes it’s vital to get help,” said Cllr Lydon, who also represents Dursley on Gloucestershire County Council.

“Every minute that someone is in a cardiac rhythm and left without either defibrillation or CPR, there is a 10 per cent less chance of survival.

“So the minutes really do count.

“I am also asking GCC and Stroud District Council to consider supporting defibrillators, particularly in rural areas where access to ambulance services is not as good as in Cheltenham or Gloucester.

“It could make all the difference to whether someone survives or not.

“Defibrillators are easy to use and although training is helpful, it’s not essential, because once the defibrillator is open, all someone has to do is follow the spoken instructions.

“Across the country and here in Gloucestershire there have been plenty of examples of the defibrillators having made a difference, saving people’s lives and letting them return to their family.”