RESIDENTS who raised money for life-saving equipment are still waiting for it to be installed six months on.

A fundraising page was set up in January to buy a defibrillator, costing more than £1,000, to go on the front of the Co-op store in Shrub End, Colchester.

Martin Ford, from the Colchester Community First Responders, helped with the project and councillor Lyn Barton (Lib Dem) also contributed £500 from her locality budget.

The Old New Inn, in Chapel Street, also got behind the campaign and raised a further £465.

However, having approached the Co-op to have the lifesaving machine installed next to the cash machine in May, the group is still waiting.

Peter Greening, a resident who helped raise funds for the defibrillator, said: “We have had to wait a long and frustrating time for the legal side of things and to gain the permission required.

“Meanwhile in that time, across Colchester more than ten machines have been installed.

“I understand the machine has been delivered to the store, but it’s not saving any lives by not being in use.

“Co-op head office send sincerest apologies but the engineers still need to do checks. I’m putting the pressure on as I’m sick of excuses.”

Ms Barton said although she understood there was legal work to be done, as the Co-op is only the tenant, it was becoming a serious issue.

She said: “It was a real community effort and we have just had frustration after frustration with it actually going on the wall. The momentum has gone now.”

A spokesman for the Co-op said: “As the leaseholder of the property, we are working hard to ensure we have all the necessary consents in place and have carried out all due diligence with regards to the safety of our contractors before installing the defibrillator.

“We are meeting all the associated costs in relation to the installation, with the aim of fitting the defibrillator on site as soon as possible.”

The Co-op is installing the defibrillator free of charge.