Bosses at a well-known Lanarkshire cake makers have hit out after vandals destroyed a life-saving community defibrillator.
Michael Burns, of Special Days Cakes in Uddingston, took to social media in a bid to find those responsible for the destruction to the equipment that they have provided in the event of an emergency in the town.
Michael and his husband Stephen Whyteside purchased the defibrillator last year at a price of £1800 and had it installed on the wall outside their business premises on Old Edinburgh Road.
In the last 12 months it has been accessed an astonishing 14 times by both the emergency services and members of the public in a bid to save people's lives. Each time the equipment is used Michael and Stephen pay an additional £100 to replace the pads.
Now the pair are pleading with those responsible to come forward or they say they will hand over CCTV images to the police.
Michael explained: "The defibrillator that we bought for our community has been vandalised. We have this on CCTV and if the person that did this comes forward to pay to have it repaired, we will not take the matter any further. However, if they don't then we have no option to call the police.
"This life-saving equipment has been used 14 times in just one year since installation. I honestly didn’t realise how much it would be used and every time it’s been taken it has always been returned immediately. It is the best thing we have ever purchased and worth every penny.
"So for someone to blatantly vandalise it is very upsetting and frustrating, however it will not deter us from having it.
"It really is a matter of life or death for people though so it's important that people realise how important it is for this equipment to be readily available 24 hours of the day.
"This vandalism is an unnecessary inconvenience and cost."
Michael was keen to praise young people within the local community who have enquired as to what it was but have never touched the defibrillator.
He added: "I would like to praise the young ones for respecting the defibrillator. It does attract their eye and they have asked question and they have never touched it. I'm quite proud of them to be honest. But there is always one in the local community who takes it too far and I can only hope they fess up to what they have done here."
The defibrillator outside Special Days Cakes is one of six that have been installed in Bothwell and Uddingston over the last few months.
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