FURIOUS residents have hit out after life-saving equipment they fundraised for was ripped off a wall in Bowdon Vale.

Last year, staff and customers at the Co-op in Vicarage Lane came together to raise £1,000 to buy a box to house a defibrillator donated by the North West Ambulance Service.

However, residents were horrified to discover that the defib had been removed from a wall outside the Co-op’s premises on Halloween day, Monday October 31.

A new model had been installed in the store so that it can be ‘properly maintained’.

But some residents have dismissed the ethical company’s assertions, as all Community Public Access Defibrillators come with a guardian, who checks the device is rescue ready on a weekly basis and checks the battery every day.

A defibrillator can dramatically increase the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest. Members of the public are directed to a nearby defib by a 999 call handler before emergency services arrive.

A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “There will be no defibrillator after 10pm, what is going to happen when the shop is shut?

“The other defibrillator was looked after and was accessible 24 hours a day but now it is gone.

“People are up in arms about it after all the money they raised for it. £1,000 isn’t easy to raise in a small community and we did it. “It’s such a shame. For an ethical company, it hasn’t got much community spirit.”

A Co-op spokesperson said: "We are totally committed to maintaining defibrillator provision in Bowdon and the installation of a new Co-op owned model is to meet our obligations in ensuring it is properly maintained on a regular basis. We have offered to relocate the device elsewhere in the community to increase provision."

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “The Trust is aware of the removal of the defibrillator at the Bowdon Vale Co-op, and was told that the retailer removed this as they have placed a unit inside the store.

“This does unfortunately mean that the unit is no longer a 24/7 access AED, and so we are working with the community to try and identify another suitable location.”