TWO life-saving pieces of equipment have been installed in the borough.

Defibrillators are now available for use outside The Bethel Community Centre at Hindley Green Family Church and the pipeline inspection company Mini-Cam's base on Yew Tree Way at Stonecross Park in Golborne.

Both sets of equipment are easy-to-use portable devices which monitor heart rhythms and deliver an electric shock when prompted to treat people who have suffered a cardiac arrest.

They work to restore an effective heart rhythm and can increase survival chances by 50 per cent if casualties have access to them early.

Barbara Lane from the Hindley Green Residents Association (HGRA), the organisation which secured the installation of the church defibrillator, said: "It will be valuable resource in the community to have access to such an important piece of equipment as this.

"There are many cases of people of all ages needing defibrillators for treatment so we thought it was vital to have one installed at the church."

The Atherton Road church defibrillator was paid for by the HGRA and Hindley Green councillor Brighter Borough funding.

At Mini-Cam, all 48 members of staff including seven first-aiders, have received training on how to use its defibrillator.

A sign has been fitted at the entrance of the building to show it is available for use by any member of the public.

Mini-Cam technician and first-aider Tony Cottriall said: “I firmly believe that the automated external defibrillator is an important piece of potentially life-saving equipment for the company to invest in, for Mini-Cam employees, customers and visitors, as well as the general public.

“Stonecross Park is a busy industrial estate with a hotel and two restaurants nearby so the area is frequented by quite a number of people every day.”