A defibrillator has been installed at a new housing estate in Witham.

The defibrillator was donated by Bellway to The Witham Hub, a community group aiming to install ten defibrillators across Witham by next February.

The latest installation took place at the Rivenhall Park development and is the sixth installation overall, but the first on the estate.

The equipment was bought and fitted at Osbon Pharmacy in Flemming Way and is automated for use by untrained individuals in case of cardiac arrest.

Bellway Essex’s sales director, Jenny Walker, said: "As well as supporting the Witham Hub’s worthwhile mission to install 10 defibrillators in Witham, our donation will ensure that residents at Rivenhall Park and the surrounding area are no more than a few minutes away from one of these lifesaving pieces of equipment."

Bellway has built 385 homes at Rivenhall Park and has submitted plans for 230 more.

The Witham Hub was set up in 2017 to promote social inclusion in Witham, becoming a registered charity in 2020.

The charity will pay for replacement parts costing between £250 and £500 whenever the defibrillator is used.

Tina Townsend, chair of trustees and founder of the Witham Hub, said: "Statistics show that if you can get a defibrillator to a patient within three to five minutes the chance of survival is increased by 15 per cent.

"If you’ve got lots of them around the town you reduce that distance from them as much as possible.

"The more defibrillators we have, the more chance that one of them will save somebody’s life."