A VOLUNTEER who maintains public defibrillators in Cricklade is desperately trying to track down one that has gone missing. 

Janice Furze volunteers at the Community Heartbeat Trust, and has been making sure that the Wiltshire town's life-saving pieces of equipment are available and working for the last 18 months, should they be needed.

But during one of her recent rounds of checking, she was shocked to discover that the defib usually located on the side of Meadow Bridge School, at the north end of Cricklade High Street, was missing.   

She said: "I look after seven defibrillators, all of which are funded by public subscriptions and donations and are distributed across the town to assist anyone in danger of cardiac arrest.

"It is incredible, and a real tribute to peoples' generosity that we have seven such units.

"Each month I check and clean the units as a volunteer. This is done monthly to ensure that they are all ready to leap into action if needed.

"If they are deployed I get informed so that I can clean, check and re-instate them back onto the system. It is gratifying to carry out this work.

"But on a check at the end of July, I was horrified to see that the defibrillator wasn't there. These units cost in excess of £2,000."

Janice immediately contacted the police and reported the unit stolen, but the circumstances surrounding it were unusual.

The case had not been damaged or tampered with in anyway, so whoever had removed the defib inside must have been given a code to get in. 

But Janice's investigations have since turned up some important information that could shed some light on this. 

"Thanks to social media I was contacted by a lady who said that the defib was used legitimately on the evening of July 7.

"It is what happened to it afterwards that we have been unable to establish. So we are still putting the word out there that it is still missing in unexplained circumstances and everything is being done to track it down."

Janice said she feared what might have happened at that time if someone had needed it, and what might happen if the unit isn't found. 

"Whoever has taken it is prepared to live with the fact that somebody’s life might be on the line because of it."

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Cricklade Town Council or Wiltshire Police using the reference number - 54230078151.