A DEFIBRILLATOR has been installed in Affetside after fears were raised by police about the time it takes for ambulances to reach rural areas.

The life-saving device has been placed on the front of the Pack Horse, in Watling Street.

The defibrillator has been donated by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), and the cabinet – worth more than £1,000 – was paid for by the Tottington Community Defibrillator Appeal, with the pub’s brewery also backing the scheme.

The organisation, which is run by Tottington resident Judith Kelly, has also previously helped to install defibrillators in Tottington.

Mrs Kelly said: "When police community support officers first suggested that public access defibrillators would be a good idea in Tottington, they were concerned about the length of time it might take an ambulance to reach our more rural areas in an emergency.

"I'm delighted that by working with the NWAS and Hydes Brewery we have been able to provide this life-saving equipment for Affetside, one of the area’s most hard to reach places.

"We now have four public access defibrillators in the Tottington area, and I have had queries from members of the public throughout Bury interested in setting up similar schemes where they live.”

The appeal, which was initially launched in 2012, has raised thousands of pounds, with the defibrill-ators in Tottington being officially launched by former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch after a cardiac arrest.

Lisa Stanway, community resuscitation training offi-cer at NWAS, said the defibrillators are designed to be used by anyone, and would not allow a shock to be delivered unless the casualty is in cardiac arrest.

She said: “These devices give clear audible and visual guidance, so formal training is not necessary.

“The ambulance service can direct rescuers over the phone on how to use automated external defibr-illators.

“They also cannot be used incorrectly as they will only deliver a shock to somebody suffering a cardiac arrest.”

She added: “Our aim is to ensure there are defibr-illators in as many public locations as possible.

“For every minute a person is in cardiac arrest their chance of survival reduces by up to 10 per cent.”