A BARRHEAD campaigner has called for more defibrillators in the town following the horrific collapse of footballer Christian Eriksen.

The world watched on in horror at the weekend as the Denmark player suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match against Finland and was brought back to life by medical staff using one of the life-saving machines.

Douglas Yates, who is chair of the Levern Valley Defibrillator Community Partnership (LVDCP), said there are currently 18 defibrillators in Barrhead but he would like to see that number doubled.

He set up LVDCP in 2018 to raise funds to buy and install the machines after discovering the town had none.

Current locations include the Cross Stobbs Inn, Barrhead Fire Station and the town’s Tesco store.

The devices were placed within 500 yards of each other, on the outside walls of the buildings, to provide easy access 24 hours a day.

Mr Yates would like to see the scheme extended into Barrhead’s outlying housing estates, such as Auchenback and Gateside.

He told the Barrhead News: “The incident involving Christian Eriksen shows that, if a cardiac arrest can happen to a fit young man, it can happen to anyone.

“In 2019, we were able to install 14 defibrillators in Barrhead and the council gave us four but that is still not enough.”

Mr Yates would also like to raise more money to pay for training in the use of defibrillators.

He added: “We had to suspend the free training courses because of the pandemic but we hope to resume them soon.

“It costs around £1,800 to buy a defibrillator and £200 a year to maintain, so any money that is raised is very welcome.

“The impact of the coronavirus pandemic means we need that support now more than ever.”

People can donate to the LVDCP through its JustGiving page.