SOUTHAMPTON residents have raised more than £1,000 for a life-saving defibrillator – but have now been they need a further £500 because the council insists the device must go outside.

Members of Erskine Court, an independent living accommodation building on Sutherland Road, have raised £1,600 for a defibrillator after being told by the council they would have to raise the funds themselves.

Upon raising their grand total through coffee mornings and table top sales, the residents hit a stumbling block when Southampton City Council (SCC) told them the defibrillator would have to be put outside their building, costing a further £528.

Julie Stanton, a resident at Erskine Court, proposed the idea to her neighbours after suffering a cardiac arrest last year.

After being turned away by the council, the community banded together and began to raise the money for a defibrillator.

She said: “We asked the council for a defibrillator and they said no.

“We agreed we would raise the money via coffee mornings.

“[The council] said they would not contribute towards it.

“We have hit so many different obstacles with the council, its almost like they don’t want us to have one.

“It’s a horrible situation, especially the situation I was in last year.

“There are so many vulnerable people in here and we’re standing up for them.”

As well as raising the £1,600, the residents had also organised a member of Farnborough Ambulance Service and an electrician to come and install it for free and offer training to 20 people.

Originally, residents wanted the defibrillator installed in the main reception area and lobby of the building so that it is accessible to everyone.

The council are asking Erskine Court members to raise a further £528 for a protective covering as SCC want the defibrillator outside the building and on the street.

A spokesperson from Southampton City Council said: “We have supported the request on the basis that the defibrillator is installed on the outside of the building.

“This will ensure this potentially life-saving equipment is accessible not just to residents but also to people living and visiting nearby, and follows recommendations made by the South Central Ambulance Service, who we work closely with.”