Dickon Hooper BBC News

Bond can testify to the benefits of a defibrillator

The potentially life-saving gadgets - demonstrated to dramatic effect in the 007 film Casino Royale - are to be placed in locked cabinets outside shops, community halls and post offices in 15 villages across the county.

This is believed to be the first time the general public - trained or not - could be called upon to use the machines.

They are already used by volunteer first aid crews across England but anyone dialling 999 when someone collapses in one of these hamlets will be directed to the nearest unit.

They will then be instructed in how to use the defibrillators, which administer a shock to restore the heart's normal rhythm, until professional help arrives.

The window to save a heart in cardiac arrest is about eight minutes.

The defibrillators cost up to �2,000 each, including the cabinets they are stored in, and are being paid for by local estate agent, Setter & Lee.

You cannot kill someone with one of these. In Texas, all schools have to have them Trudy Lobban, Arrhythmia Alliance

Sue Stilwell, from the agency, said: "The owner, Clive Setter, wanted to give something back. He had one at home and one in the office.

"They will undoubtedly save lives. There is proven research that if you get a defibrillator shock within minutes, you increase the chances of survival by a huge percentage."

Eric Frow, 77, from Scunthorpe, knows all about that.

He went into cardiac arrest at the last game of Scunthorpe United's season, four years after a triple bypass operation.

The St John Ambulance crew used the ground's on-site defibrillator to restart his heart.

"I went to the match with not a care in the world," he said. "People said it must have been the tension, but there wasn't any as we knew we were going up anyway.

"I didn't know a lot about it. I was just standing there and then I was in hospital."

This is the type of life-saving situation that Mr Setter wants to mirror.

'No training needed'

"These machines are very simple and are commonplace in other parts of the world. They are usable by anyone," he said.

Mr Setter's sister, Trudy Lobban, is the chief executive of the Arrhythmia Alliance, which aims to raise awareness of irregular heart beats, and is promoting the scheme.

"An ambulance can take up to 30 minutes to get to Chew Magna. Less than 5% of people survive cardiac arrests out of hospital," she said.

"You cannot kill someone with one of these. In the US it is law in California that all sheriffs' cars have to carry them. In Texas, all schools have to have them," she added.

The final partner in the scheme is the Great Western Ambulance Service.

The defibrillators are already in place in some villages

It has been out demonstrating the defibrillators to the local community, pushing the message that anyone can use them.

Paul Underwood, learning and development officer, said: "Technically you don't need training to pick up this equipment and use it. It does everything for you."

A spokeswoman for the service confirmed: "They are safe to use. They talk to you and won't let you use them if the heart has not stopped. There are built-in safety features."

She insisted the cabinets were vandal-proof and that trained control room staff would only issue the code to unlock them if the caller was genuine.

"You also have the reassurance of staff talking to you from the control room," she added.

Other villages in remote areas around England, including Northumberland, have expressed interested in the idea.