A SUPERMARKET in north Durham is providing customers with life-saving equipment.

The Tesco store, on Genesis Way, in Consett, is introducing defibrillators, in case anyone suffers a cardiac arrest.

Tony Hoggett, chief operating officer of Tesco UK, said: “We are always looking for ways to help the communities we serve, and we know that having a defibrillator to hand can mean saving the life of someone suffering a cardiac arrest.

“This initiative has the potential to make a real difference to customers and colleagues all over the country.”

The shop is one of 907 of its largest stores being kitted out with the medical gear in case of an emergency.

Statistics from the British Heart Foundation show that over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital in the UK every year, but less than one in ten survive.

For every minute without CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chance of survival decreases by around ten percent.

Sara Askew, head of survival at the BHF, said: “If you have a cardiac arrest in the UK today you have just a one in ten chance of survival.

“More people could be saved if more people had the skills and confidence to perform CPR and more defibrillators were available and accessible in public places.

“We are delighted that Tesco is supporting BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign by making public access defibrillators available in all its larger stores. Knowing vital CPR skills and having access to a defibrillator can often be the difference between life and death.”