The village of Ovingham has been made safer with the installation of a heart-starting device.

A community defibrillator has been positioned outside the White Swan pub in the centre of the village.

Ovingham Parish Council started discussing the installation several months ago after a local resident aired their views that the village should have two of the devices.

John Sharkey, landlord at the White Swan, agreed that the defibrillator could be placed outside of the pub, on the wall to the west side, as it is a central location for villagers to reach in an emergency.

The parish council paid half of the £2,000 cost for the defibrillator out of its precept, while the other half was met by North-East based Cardioproof CIC, a community interest organisation aiming to improve the availability of community defibrillators across the region.

Members of the community, named ‘guardians’, have been appointed to carry out checks to ensure the defibrillator is in full working order should it be required.

Coun. Doreen Jordon, chairwoman of Ovingham Parish Council, said: “This means there are two defibrillators in the area of Ovingham, one in the centre of the village and another a short distance away, across the bridge in the Riverside Park.

“We are so pleased to have our own village defibrillator in place. We all hope it will never have to be used but it is very reassuring to have one in the centre of the village.”

The parish council is planning to organise a session in January where members of the public will be able to get to grips with how the defibrillator works.