Defibrillators pledged for Hampshire waste recycling centres after heart attack death at Marchwood tip

DEFIBRILLATORS will soon be installed at every household waste recycling centre in Hampshire, the county council has confirmed, just weeks after a man died from a heart attack at Marchwood.

Martin Lucas, a 60-year-old truck driver, collapsed at the village tip on 23rd May and died later in hospital, writes David George of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Now HCC has said it is fast-tracking the installation of defibrillators at all its recycling centres.

Martin, who was a member of Ashlett Sailing Club near Fawley, was disposing of garden waste when he suffered the heart attack.

Staff and members of the public rushed to his aid while paramedics were called to the scene.

He was taken to University Hospital Southampton for treatment, but did not recover.

Cllr Edward Heron, HCC cabinet member for environment and transport strategy, said: "We have been working towards having defibrillators installed at our household waste recycling centres for a couple of months now.

"I’m pleased to say that our waste contractor Veolia has secured 26 units from St John Ambulance and expect to receive those by the end of June, with a view to them being installed on sites as quickly as is reasonably practicable.

"The defibrillators are being installed at the 24 household waste recycling centres in Hampshire and also those in Portsmouth and Southampton."

Hampshire’s tips are run by Veolia, on behalf of the county council.

The company does not yet have a date for the installations, but insisted they were "imminent".

A Veolia spokesperson said: "Veolia is extremely proud to partner with Hampshire County Council to install defibrillators at 26 key sites across the county.

"Our sites are visited by over 1.5-million residents every year, so having this equipment available to use in an emergency situation could help to save a life.’

Cllr David Harrison, HCC member for South Totton and Marchwood, said: "Since Martin’s death I’ve learned of another fatality at a Hampshire tip.

"This is something that I’m sure people will greatly welcome – it’s certainly a positive step and there’s a recognition here that small investments can still save lives.

"With ambulance queues at hospitals, it sadly often falls to ordinary people to be the first responders for an incident.

"I think these defibrillators will make everybody feel that little bit safer."