A man has been saved from a potentially fatal cardiac arrest thanks to a piece of medical kit kept in his Lincolnshire village.

Bob Hampson, 62, was at his home in Ruskington when he began to suffer serious heart problems. But as he slipped into cardiac arrest, his wife called for the emergency services, which sent the local member of Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service.

Within six minutes, LIVES responder John Harman, 64, had reached the unconscious Mr Hampson, and using the life-saving defibrillator – which can prevent the death of a patient suffering cardiac arrest – administered an electric shock to his heart.

His swift actions late last month helped gain vital minutes before paramedics could reach the scene. An ambulance could take up to eight minutes to reach the village near Sleaford, by which time any possibility of restarting a failing heart would have been lost.

Mr Hampson, retired, said he owes his life to his local LIVES team. He said: "Although I don't remember what happened, at one stage it was critical. I feel sure that if I had not been given treatment from the defibrillator, I wouldn't be here now. I'm incredibly grateful to John, my wife and the paramedics."

This latest story helps to reinforce the Echo's Have a Heart campaign, which launched on November 30 in a bid to save more than 100 lives each year. The campaign aims to get vital defibrillators in communities across Lincolnshire.

For more about the campaign, see Monday's Echo.