A PIECE of life-saving equipment has been made available to members of the public in Radcliffe town centre.

A defibrillator — which gives an electric shock to a patient in the event of a cardiac arrest — has been installed at The Barber Shop in Deansgate, and will be accessible to residents during the shop's opening hours.

It will be operated by barber Gary Melia, who is a volunteer with the Bolton Mountain Rescue Service.

The equipment has been funded by Bolton Mountain Rescue Service, with the Radcliffe Rotary Club covering the cost of the battery and electrode pads.

Mr Melia said: "Having more public access defibrillators is important and thanks to both Bolton Mountain Rescue and Radcliffe Rotary we now have another one in our community."

The location of the defibrillator has been made known to 999 call handlers and to the North West Ambulance Service so that those in need can receive life preserving attention in the vital first 10 minutes after a heart attack.

Rotary President Ken Kerr said: "Gary’s appeal for £450 was agreed within hours of it arriving. Members were very keen and pleased to support this initiative in central Radcliffe because it is accessible to the public throughout the working week through Gary’s public-spirited commitment to Radcliffe."

The defibrillator can be accessed between 8.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and between 7.30am-5pm on Saturdays.