Life-saving bandage kits for Plymouth taxis

Rapaid bandage kits have already been used to stop bleeding in emergencies

Plymouth taxi drivers are being given life-saving emergency bandage kits designed to stem serious blood loss.

The charity Rapaid is donating and installing up to 50 kits in taxi cabs outside Plymouth railway station.

The aim is to allow passers-by to flag down a taxi displaying a green Rapaid window sticker, and grab a bandage in the event of an emergency.

The move follows the successful roll-out of the scheme in Exeter and other UK cities.

Charity founder, Alex Chivers, who grew up and went to school in Devon, is determined to distribute the emergency bandage kits to taxi cabs across the entire country.

"With a serious haemorrhage, the grim facts are that you can bleed to death in under five minutes." said Mr Chivers.

"The faster direct pressure and treatment begins the better the chances of survival.

"They are the same bandages I carried during my career in the military and in the police, so It made perfect sense to make these bandages available and accessible to the public." he added.

Several of the kits donated by Rapaid have already been used to quickly stop bleeding in incidents ranging from knife crime to traffic accidents.

Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer said he supported the scheme

Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth and Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs is supportive of the initiative.

"Having served in the British Army on the frontline I fully understand the importance of immediate and effective medical intervention especially when it comes to a serious haemorrhage." he said.

"There is excellent work being done in Plymouth to tackle knife crime and anti-social behaviour, and to make our roads safer, but effective response is just as important as prevention when it comes to saving lives."