RINGWOOD Town Council has installed a defibrillator at its Gateway building.

Councillor Christine Ford suggested the machine’s location at a meeting of the council.

She said: “This is wonderful news. We know that access to a defibrillator in the first few minutes of a heart attack can save many more lives and, while I hope it will never be needed, I hope it provides some comfort to those people living in the town.”

In order to access the defibrillator, the first aider must ring 999 and will be given a ‘pass number’, which will then allow the machine to drop free of its case and be available for use.

Mayor Barbara Woodifield said: “It’s so easy to use this machine and it doesn’t matter if you don’t know first aid because it will talk to you and tell you what to do as soon as you turn it on.”