HAMPSHIRE heart attack sufferers have the greatest chance of survival of anywhere in the country.

South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) boasts the largest survival percentage of all the trusts in England, and is the only one to secure a rate of more than one in ten.

Of those people suffering from cardiac arrest when outside of a hospital, SCAS secured an 11.4 per cent rate of survival.

The figures, which range from April 2016 to April 2017, show a total of 1,430 people were treated, with 163 able to leave hospital.

A spike in October 2016 saw a high of 188 people treated for cardiac arrest that month.

The national average for the yearly period stands at 8.5 per cent, with the lowest rate seen by South East Coast Ambulance Service with 6.5 per cent.

It comes as the foundation trust takes part in the European Restart a Heart Day.

Along with the British Heart Foundation and Red Cross, SCAS is helping to get more than 150,000 school children trained in CPR.

Nic Morecroft, lead community respond manager said: "We know that one of the big concerns members of the public have about giving first aid and chest compressions is that it might harm the patient.

"Quite simply, however, it is not possible to make the situation any worse.

"Even if you aren't an expert in giving chest compressions, it's been shown from studies that you can at least double if not treble someone's chances of survival by having a go at giving chest compressions."

Some of the schools taking part include Restart a Heart Day include Bitterne Park School, Itchen Sixth Form College and Redbridge Community School.

An average of five people a day call South Central Ambulance Service after suffering a heart attack.

In the UK, around 30 per cent are fatal and less than one in ten who go into arrest outside a hospital survive.