Linslade defibrillator 'bashed and thrown down' by vandals will cost over £2k to replace

A life-saving defibrillator at Linslade Memorial Pavilion was destroyed by mindless vandals on Sunday night (May 22).
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The equipment, which will cost around £2,200 to replace, was damaged beyond repair as its contents were "bashed and thrown down".

The town council now has a new one on order and is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

Posting on Facebook yesterday (May 23), it said: "We are shocked and saddened this morning to find the vandalism overnight to Linslade Memorial Pavilion.

Vandalism at Linslade Memorial Pavilion. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.Vandalism at Linslade Memorial Pavilion. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
Vandalism at Linslade Memorial Pavilion. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.

"The defibrillator has been completely wrecked, its contents bashed and thrown down. Luckily we have a number of defibs available across the town until a replacement is sourced.

"What makes people think it’s okay to destroy a defibrillator that is there with the sole purpose of saving a life?"

The windows were also broken during the attack on the pavilion and the incident has been reported to Bedfordshire Police.

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The defibrillator is damaged beyond repair. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.The defibrillator is damaged beyond repair. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
The defibrillator is damaged beyond repair. Image: Leighton-Linslade Town Council.

A Leighton-Linslade Town Council spokeswoman told the LBO: "Firstly, the key message is that in any medical emergency, members of the public should always call the emergency services number first, 999.

"If needed, they will be directed to the nearest available defibrillator.

"We register our defibrillators with the charity, Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) who liaise with the emergency services and monitor which defibrillators are known to be available to use. We have informed CHT of the loss of this defibrillator so the public will not be directed to Linslade Memorial Pavilion until a new defibrillator is installed.

"For a defibrillator to be publicly available 24 hours a day, it needs to be placed in a cabinet in a site accessible to all. This means we will not have a temporary replacement on site until we can install a new cabinet to put the defibrillator in. We wish to reassure the public that a replacement defibrillator and cabinet are on order and will be installed as soon as they arrive.

"We note with great thanks people’s concerns and especially Shellie’s offer to fundraise and will be contacting Shellie who we know through her time as a one of our market traders.

"We estimate the costs of replacements and installation costs to be circa £2,200."

The LBO has contacted Bedfordshire Police for a comment.