It is with deep disappointment that Bridgwater Town Council reports that two public bleed kits have been tampered with and emptied of their life-saving contents.
When a bleed kit is vandalised, stolen, or interfered with, it may no longer be usable, leaving it useless at the very moment it could save a life. Such actions are not only reckless but potentially fatal.
Bleed kits are designed to provide critical support in the first minutes following a severe injury, such as a stabbing, road traffic collision, or workplace accident. Each kit contains essential equipment including tourniquets, wound dressings, gloves, medical shears, a thermal blanket, and clear instructions. Many are located alongside public defibrillators and can be accessed 24/7.
These kits are installed in the hope that they are never needed – but if they are, they must be intact and ready to use. They carry no monetary value, but in an emergency they are invaluable. Their absence could cost a life.
If you witness anyone tampering with a bleed kit, please report it immediately by calling the non-emergency police line on 101.
Bleed kits have already saved lives across the country. They can be used by anyone (even without medical training) in the critical minutes before emergency services arrive.
Protecting them protects our community.