A fisherman has died from heart failure after trying to get help from a doctors' surgery only to find it closed – and a defibrillator that could have saved his life was locked inside.

Even more tragically, the man would have passed an accessible defibrillator on his way to the surgery, but he did not know it was there.

St Keverne Parish Council is now writing to the health centre and also the village fire station, where there is also an internal defibrillator, appealing for their devices to be placed on the outside of their buildings, to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

Councillors also plan to look into getting better signage for the devices, which can be used to reset a person’s heart rhythm when they are suffering a cardiac arrest, potentially saving their life.

The man had been fishing with a friend at Dean Quarry and they were returning to the car when he was taken ill.

Not knowing about the device in the centre of the village, which has been placed by the parish council on the outside of the public toilets, the friend took the man to the health centre for help but as it was a Saturday the surgery was shut.

A fireman’s wife living at Polventon Parc, near to the surgery, happened to see the men and could see something was wrong, so went out to help.

She performed CPR on the man, having recently done a first aid course for her work, until fire service co-responders arrived to take over.

They then used the parish council defibrillator from the toilets – which had been thrust into their hands as they were answering the shout – but sadly despite three attempts it was too late.

Councillors were told of the tragic incident by clerk Grace Hatton when they met last week.

Members agreed to send a letter to the health centre and fire station, asking that the defibrillators be placed outside and the council would pay for the cabinets and installation.

Councillor Rob Beadle questioned whether there should also be more signs saying where to find the defibrillators.

It was agreed that after hearing back from the surgery and the fire station, the council could look at signposting all three.

However, health centre practice manager Anita Dugmore told the Helston Packet that due to the defibrillators in the surgery being a different, portable version, it was not possible to keep them outside. Instead, they would put up a poster outside the surgery, giving information about where to find the nearest external defibrillator in the village.