TWO pieces of life-saving equipment have been installed in Thirsk thanks to local people and the British Heart Foundation.

The town's swimming pool and the local branch of Boots now have defibrillators, a device that can deliver an essential shock to people in cardiac arrest.

The £2,000 machines have been supplied using grants from both the British Heart Foundation and Thirsk Rotary Club.

Thirsk Swimming Pool is the second council-owned leisure centre in the district to get a defibrillator - Northallerton's Hambleton Leisure Centre has had one for two years.

"We are very grateful to both the Heart Foundation and the Rotary Club who provided this valuable piece of equipment for us," said pool manager Neil Hellawell.

"We have thousands of customers coming through our doors every month so there is obviously potential for someone to be taken ill - it is comforting to know we are now better equipped to help them."

Ken Billings, chairman of the Northallerton and Thirsk branch of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Statistics show that in order to survive a heart attack a shock is needed within eight minutes.

"These machines can help save lives - when used by first-aiders they give heart attack patients a fighting chance of survival.

"They will be in the best possible shape for when paramedics arrive on the scene."