A woman who has campaigned to have defibrillators installed across Bolton in memory of her husband has hit out at a decision by Bolton council's planning chiefs to reject plans to install one of the lifesaving devices in the centre of the town.
Claire Axon lost her husband Neil in 2012 after he collapsed as a result of a genetic condition he did not know he had.
Since then the mum from Little Lever has worked to have as many of the lifesaving kits installed t and to raise awareness of learning CPR to help people in an emergency situation.
Company JCDecaux has been working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to have defibrillators installed.
It had launched plans for a communication hub with defibrillator to be installed on the pavement outside Oxford Street in the centre of Bolton.
But the local authority rejected the plans.
A decision notice from Bolton Council stated: “Comments from the town centre manager indicate that there is no need for additional defibrillator access in the proposed area and this does not outweigh the harm to the street scene or character of the conservation area.”
An appeal has since been launched against this decision.
But Mrs Axon blasted the decision to reject it.
She said: “It astounds me that they say there are enough.
“They cannot say there are enough, how many is enough?
“As far as I am concerned you can’t get enough.
“The more we have the more chance we have of saving lives.
“I am actually astounded by it.
“They say it going to impact the character of the area, I do not think I have come across this before.
“I am really quite shocked.
“I am 100 per cent in support of the appeal.
“We know that defibrillators save lives.
“We should be looking to have one on every street corner.
“I will challenge anybody who says we have got enough.
“When you have seen somebody suffer a cardiac arrest you know you need a defibrillator nearby.
“I will help challenge this.
“I am prepared to come and speak to anybody about this.”
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