A DEFIBRILLATOR is back in its rightful place after vanishing from Royal Wootton Bassett’s High Street.

The life-saving machine, which is kept on the wall opposite the war memorial, disappeared last month.

But mayor Nic Hughes said the council was contacted by a member of staff at Swindon's Great Western Hospital who found it there.

It was cleaned, checked over and then put back last week.

Coun Hughes said: “When somebody takes it and uses it, we don’t usually ask who’s using it, and on this occasion, the defibrillator went with the patient who it was used on to the GWH.

“So GWH had it and following our social media posts, which were commented on, and shared by a number of people within Bassett, word got to somebody who knew where the defibrillator was, and they contacted our officers.

He added: “It happened before, if it’s an emergency situation we don’t expect it to be put back into the box. On previous occasions it’s gone to the doctors, and it has also previously been found at the GWH.

“The person who found it for us will be personally contacted in the future if it goes missing again.”

Coun Hughes said CCTV cameras did not suggest that it was taken by vandals.

He said: “We have a CCTV camera that points to the box, but obviously it’s not on the box all the time.

“There’s only a short period when it’s not on the camera so it was very odd to us that we didn’t see anybody doing anything to suggest it’s been taken inappropriately.”

The defibrillator was originally installed in 2014 following months of fundraising by Noremarsh Junior School pupils.

Coun Hughes added: “All the councillors expressed great relief. It is insured, so it would have been replaced but finding it means that it goes straight back onto the high street rather than going through the process of getting a new one.

“Because it doesn’t do anybody any good if it’s not in the box on the high street.

“Thank you to the residents in RWB, thank you for sharing the post, they expanded the reach of our post and thank you to the staff of the GWH. We are grateful.”