A group of public-spirited Ipswich residents have clubbed together to buy a life-saving defibrillator for their road.

The idea for the machine in Winston Avenue, off Rushmere Road, was the idea of householders Derek and Una Warren, and supported financially by many of their neighbours.

Derek said: “We thought it would benefit not just our immediate neighbourhood but also the wider community if we had a defib in our road, so we set out to achieve this.

“We mentioned it to neighbours and the majority were in favour and happy to support in raising the cash. We have now installed the defib and have had an awareness session for residents.

“Our defib is available to anyone in need. Life is precious. We hope our gesture could be a life saver in a time of emergency and it would be great to see more defibs appearing around our county.”

The defib was acquired through Community Heartbeat Trust and county councillor Paul West added a contribution.

In an emergency, it is essential to call 999 first.

If a defib is considered appropriate for the patient, the caller will be the relevant door key code to access the machine.