Communities in Wales are being encouraged to apply for a free defibrillator.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has reopened its Community Defibrillator Funding Programme, offering more than 320 defibrillator packages to communities.

This is the second year of the programme, which aims to save lives.

In Wales, the BHF has said areas with the greatest need will be prioritised, and is particularly eager to receive applications from Caia Park in Wrexham, and Caerau in Cardiff, as the charity has identified them as areas with limited access to defibrillators.

Rhodri Thomas, head of BHF Cymru, said: "Every defibrillator has the power to save a life.

"When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts.

"Early access to a defibrillator is vital to give someone the best chance of survival."

The programme successfully placed 300 defibrillators across the UK in its first year.

Around 2,800 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital every year in Wales, but less than one in 20 survive. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation can reduce the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest by up to 10 per cent.

Currently, more than 96,000 defibrillators are registered on The Circuit across the UK.