The Herts Careline charity, based in Letchworth, has invested in life-saving defibrillators for its fleet of electric vehicles.

The award-winning telecare service is part of North Herts District Council and works in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council.

Together, they help thousands of residents across Hertfordshire live more independently at home with help on hand 24/7 via their assistive technology equipment which is linked to their control room in Letchworth.

Cllr Alistair Willoughby, executive member for communities and partnerships at North Herts Council, said: "If a situation arises that engineers are confronted with emergency situations during their installation appointments, they are now equipped to provide support.

"Looking after our residents' wellbeing is incredibly important to us.

"Herts Careline always strives to provide innovative solutions for the residents they look after and by having these defibrillators on-board their electric vans, they are better equipped for incidents during the course of their fantastic and vital work."

The act of defibrillation delivers an electrical shock across the chest, to help the heart return to a normal rhythm when a cardiac arrest occurs.

The hand-held CellAED devices are approximately the size of a book and will be kept on the Careline eVans.

When instructed to do so by the emergency services, the device can be ‘snapped’ apart and placed of the chest of an adult, and on the chest and back of a child, potentially saving a life.