A campaign to install a street light next to a defibrillator station has been launched after a vandal urinated in it and ripped up a hi-vis jacket.

The piece of lifesaving equipment was only put in the telephone box in Herne Bay High Street in November.

But Sally Devere, who raised £1,750 to establish the station, found its hi-vis jacket “ripped to shreds” and the case containing the defibrillator left open at 10.30am on Saturday morning.

“I was heartbroken when I saw this,” she said. “As soon as I opened the door, all I could smell was urine – it was horrible.

“It just makes you think that people have no respect because the defibrillator could save someone’s life.

“Luckily they didn’t take it, but they undid its case and left it open. We checked it to make sure it was all okay and it’s working fine.”

After learning about what happened, firefighters cleaned the former phone box.

Ms Devere says she will now lobby Kent County Council to erect a streetlamp close to the defibrillator station.

“I’m now going to try to see if we can get the council to put a street light up because it’s quite dark down there,” she said.

Ms Devere decided not to lock the door to the defibrillator station because she wants it to be easy to access in an emergency.

But she says, if it is targeted by vandals again, she will install one.

She added: “This would make it harder to get in there, but I’m hoping no one will repeat this."