Four M&S stores across Greater Glasgow have been equipped with new defibrillators.

The installations at Cumbernauld, Hamilton, Forge Parkhead, and Port Glasgow are part of a wider initiative by the retailer to increase the availability of these life-saving devices.

M&S is collaborating with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to register all its defibrillators on The Circuit, the charity's national defibrillator network.

The Circuit is a comprehensive map of defibrillators across the UK, which helps ambulance services locate the nearest registered defibrillator when a bystander calls 999 in response to a cardiac arrest.

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According to the BHF, more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK each year, and every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

David Anderson, M&S regional manager for central Scotland, said: “Time is of the essence when responding to a cardiac arrest and we want to do anything we can to help and support the local community.

"It is great to be working with the British Heart Foundation to connect with our local ambulance service and all of our first aiders in-store are CPR trained.”

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The BHF is one of M&S' Sparks partners, meaning every time a customer chooses the charity and shops at M&S with their Sparks card, M&S makes a 1p donation.

Since June 2020, over £80,000 has been donated to the BHF, helping to fund research breakthroughs, clinical trials, and vital CPR training.

Judy O’Sullivan, director of health innovation programmes at the BHF, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with M&S to register their defibrillators onto The Circuit – this could help save lives in years to come.

"By ensuring the location of nearby defibrillators are visible to ambulance services in the ultimate medical emergency, M&S is providing an invaluable service to communities across the UK."