LIFE-SAVING equipment installed on Stokesley High Street has been damaged in an incident that has caused disgust in the town.

A defibrillator which is believed to have been installed last year next to the public toilets on the High Street, after the town council provided funding for the device.

Free training sessions were also run in Stokesley Town Hall to provide people with an overview on how to use the automated defibrillator in the event of someone having a heart attack in the town centre.

But in recent days it has been damaged and the equipment has consequently been moved inside the police station.

Stokesley Police posted on its website: “Attention - the defibrillator on Stokesley High Street is in the station, due to damage. If you have any information in relation to the damage of this please call 101.”

News of the damage to the emergency life-saving equipment has caused anger locally.

One resident posted on Facebook: “The people who have damaged it, let's hope none of your family will ever need the help of the vital equipment.”

It is believed the damage was deliberate, but North Yorkshire Police were unable to provide any further information on the incident.

Although there has been no confirmation the equipment was deliberately vandalised, it comes after the council and police have received a number of complaints about on-going problems on both the High Street and nearby Silver Street.

The issue with anti-social behaviour has reached such a point that Hambleton District Council has invited residents to have their say on whether a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) should be introduced to combat the problem.

PSPOs impose conditions on the use of an area when problems are causing a negative effect on the local community’s quality of life.

Hambleton District Councillor Bridget Fortune said they were actively considering a number of options - including gating off access to Silver Street, banning the drinking of alcohol in the problem areas and stopping groups of people being together in the High Street at certain times.

The options will be presented at two public events in the town, at Stokesley Library on Thursday, August 24 from 2pm to 5pm and on Saturday, September 9 from 9.30am until 1.30pm.

People can also complete a survey online at hambleton.gov.uk/survey/Stokesley