A PUBLIC defibrillator which went missing earlier this year has vanished again, amid fears that it has been stolen.

The defibrillator has disappeared from its box on the outside wall of the pavilion on the Pitchcroft racecourse some time in the last week or so.

The fundraising for the defibrillator was organised by Worcester Pitchcroft Parkrun, which holds weekly, five-kilometre runs at the site.

Sam Payne, Pitchcroft Parkrun event director, said: "When the defibrillator disappeared in August, we feared it had been stolen.

"But after that we pieced together that it must have been used when someone collapsed on or near the race course, someone got the defibrillator, the air ambulance was called, and in the confusion, the defibrillator was left on the racecourse.

"A homeless man found it and took it to the Maggs Day Centre, and they returned it to us."

But now it has gone missing again, and Mr Payne fears this time it really has been stolen.

He said: "We noticed a few days ago that the box had been opened and it was missing.

"We checked with the police and ambulance, but nobody seems to have received a 999 call indicating that someone might have used it."

Mr Payne has reported it to police, and anyone with information is urged to call police on 101, quoting incident number 22/110784/18.

The equipment was only installed in May after an appeal by the parkrunners.

Worcester City Council had donated £1,520 towards the cost of the equipment and its installation, but campaigners were still short by £580.

Following a fundraising appeal, they managed to raise the remaining cash through donations from generous supporters in just 36 hours.

At the time the defibrillator was bought, Pitchcroft Parkrun event director Sam Payne said: “The defib will be useful and available to the football team, rowers, general public, horse racing event goers - anybody using the park.

“In truth we predicted that raising the £600 would take many weeks.

“However after one social media post and one event we were inundated with immensely kind donations.”

Research suggests that the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest improves by 75 per cent if a defibrillator gets to the patient within eight minutes.