Newmarket Town Council appeal for stolen defibrillator to be returned

Vital life-saving equipment has been stolen from the front of Newmarket's memorial hall.

A defibrillator was taken between 4.30pm on Monday and 8.50am on Tuesday from its yellow and green locker - meaning lives could be at risk if somebody is in urgent need of the heart-starting device.

Today Roberta Bennett, town council manager, has appealed for the device to be returned to the memorial hall.

Mrs Bennett said the ambulance service did not have any record of the code been handed out for use, but that the code was used to open the box on the wall of the High Street building.

Suffolk Police has been told about the theft. Today a force spokesman said any witnesses or anybody with any information about the theft should contact the police on 101, or report it online via its website.

The device was donated to the town by the Jockey Club in May last year. The town council has also run classes on how to use the defibrillator, which can be used when people are unresponsive, unconscious, not breathing normally, or in cardiac arrest.