“SCANDALOUS” was the word used to describe the lack of a public access defibrillator at Alice Holt Forest, after a man died at the local woodland.

Keir Hall was one of several bystanders attempting to help a man who collapsed of an apparent cardiac arrest at the site on March 28.

He found the man after passing him previously, before taking over in administering CPR, training for which he had received by the Farnham Lions.

Mr Hall said he had sent a cyclist away to search for a defibrillator, but there was no luck with the search.

Bystanders later found out a defibrillator was on site, but locked in Alice Holt’s visitors’ centre, which was shut because of its opening times.

Mr Hall has criticised the lack of a public access defibrillator and signage on site.

He said: “Scandalous is the word. Just because the shop isn’t open doesn’t mean people aren’t using Alice Holt.

“A defibrillator is something that should be accessible to the public because people don’t just have heart attacks during opening hours.”

Mr Hall also criticised Alice Holt “given they’ve been approached several times and refused a defibrillator for a variety of reasons.

The Herald understands the Alice Holt was previously offered use of the local park run’s defibrillator around three years ago, but this was refused because of concerns over “vandalism and liability”.

Mr Hall said: “You only have to look at public access defibrillators around Farnham to know fears over misuse or vandalism are generally unfounded – they’re rare as I think people recognise the value of them.”

A post circulating on Farnham Rants confirmed a man had died at Lodge Pond on March 28, reportedly after collapsing from a cardiac arrest.

Since the incident, steps are being taken to try to secure a public access defibrillator for the site.

A Forestry England spokesperson said: “All the team at Alice Holt Forest are deeply saddened by the recent death. Our thoughts and sympathies are very much with the family at this time.

“We actively manage a wide range of risks across the Public Forest Estate and in doing so undertake ongoing regular assessments to ensure we meet all safety standards and regulations. Our staff are trained first aiders and we have a range of specialist first aid equipment on site. This includes a defibrillator located in our visitor centre. This particular incident took place after office hours and as such staff were not available to provide emergency assistance.

“As is the case with any serious incident, we are reviewing our safety procedures and looking carefully at whether any further actions or changes need to be made including access to specialist equipment such as defibrillators.”

The Herald is now backing calls for a public access defibrillator to be installed at the site. A meeting set to be held with the Alice Holt team and members of the Aston Defibrillator Fund, who have helped to support the Herald’s Have a Heart campaign.

Jo Michaelides, trustee at the Aston Defibrillator Fund, said: “We are very encouraged to be meeting Alice Holt next week to discuss the possibility of installing a public access defibrillator.

“We are hoping that together we can look at the future benefits to forest visitors in this popular location and look forward to working with Forest England to achieve this.”