The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is issuing 135 to the ambulance service in Cumbria and 36 to the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The move is part of a campaign to reduce deaths by heart attacks.

Volunteers will be specially trained to operate the devices thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Seven out of 10 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospital and currently in the UK only 2-3% of these people survive.

'Emergency care'

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by up to 10% for every minute that passes.

Around 270,000 people suffer a heart attack in the UK each year, about a third of whom die before reaching hospital due to cardiac arrest.

Tony Doveston, of the BHF, said: "This marks a major step forward in emergency care for cardiac arrest victims.

"When we meet people whose lives have been saved by defibrillators, we learn that their value is priceless.

"Now, with the crucial help of volunteers and the expertise of the ambulance trusts, we will be able to give many more people a second chance at life."

The funding will also pay for training equipment and the post of a community defibrillation officer for the trust, who will train volunteer life-savers.