The phone box that could be a life-saver after it was equipped with a defibrillator

A disused red phone box has been jolted back to life after villagers equipped it with a defibrillator.

It is hoped the kit could help save lives in Meesden, Hertfordshire, 14 miles from the nearest A&E unit. Anyone ringing 999 from the village with a potential heart problem will be given an access code for the vandal-proof steel box.

Organiser and local resident Ken Newstead told the Hertfordshire Mercury that similar schemes could “save lives in rural communities”.