Defibrillator shortage puts lives at risk - charity

Eighty new defibrillators are being funded as part of the British Heart Foundation's Every Minute Matters campaign

Lives are "needlessly being put at risk" in parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester due to a shortage of defibrillators, a charity has warned.

The British Heart Foundation (BFH) and Sky Bet have teamed up to tackle "defibrillator inequality" in the UK.

BFH said every second counts when having a cardiac arrest and devices in Morecambe, Wensley Fold, Blackburn, and Atherton in Wigan were located too far apart.

According to the healthcare charity the Resuscitation Council, it is recommended that people should be no further than 200m from a defibrillator.

According to BHF data, people living in Atherton are on average more than 1,058m (0.66 miles) metres away from their nearest 24/7 defibrillator

In Morecambe, the nearest defibrillator available is 818m away on average, and in Wensley Fold, the average distance is 420 metres away, the charity said.

Eighty new defibrillators are now being funded as part of its Every Minute Matters campaign.

The charity has urged community groups and organisations in the areas to apply for a funded community defibrillator package before the closing date on 28 February.

BHF said the "lifesaving" devices give a high-energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest.

With nearly three in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening on weekends, quick access to a defibrillator at any time of the day is crucial, it said.

BHF said every minute of delay between a cardiac arrest and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10% so quick CPR and defibrillation was "vital to give someone the best chance of survival".