Life-saving defibrillator and CCTV cameras 'stolen' from outside Newport café

A life-saving defibrillator machine has reportedly been stolen from outside a café in Newport.

Pictures posted online show the empty box that used to contain the defibrillator as well as damaged wires, where three CCTV cameras were also removed.

The incident is believed to have happened on Monday (18 April) evening or in the early hours of Tuesday, at The Café at Ridgeway on Allt-Yr-Yn Avenue.

One woman who posted photos of the damage described it as "absolutely shocking" and "despicable behaviour".

The defibrillator had been placed at the café as the result of a community fundraising effort to get two machines in the local area.

Stacey Hale, who was one of the women behind the fundraising, said they will be launching a new appeal to try and replace the missing device.

Ms Hale said she was "shocked and sad" to find out that the defibrillator had been taken.

She added: "The worst part of all of this is that should someone sadly have a cardiac arrest now in the area, we don’t have the defibrillator there to potentially save their life."

The incident has been reported to Gwent Police and a spokesperson for the force confirmed they are investigating the incident.

They said: "We received a report of theft after a defibrillator was taken from Allt-Yr-Yn Avenue in Newport between 7:15pm on Monday 18 April and 7:30am on Tuesday 19 April.

"Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting log reference 2200128525."

People can also call Crimestoppers anonymously to provide information about the incident.

According to Welsh charity Calon Heart, more than 15,000 defibrillators have been placed in communities across Wales.

After a cardiac arrest, the quicker a person is treated the higher their chance of survival, which is why easy access to a defibrillator can be so crucial to saving someone's life.