A CITY CENTRE defibrillator box - which has been used six times since its installation less than one year ago - has been found smashed to pieces.

AXM Club had the lifesaving device installed on Glassford Street last year after recognising there was a shortage of them in the city centre.

Members of staff at the nightclub were left outraged after they found the box smashed into shards at the weekend.

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General manager, Greig McKay, said: "We went in to check if everything was okay in the club since we closed it at the start of lockdown.

“On our way in, we seen this big shard of the glass from the defibrillator's screen on the ground.

“I went to check CCTV and it showed some guy, at 4.20am on Friday morning, appearing to punch it."

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The non-profit nightclub had spent over £2000 on purchasing the devise and installing it for the people of Glasgow.

Greig added: "We bought it for the general public in Glasgow because there’s not that many of them.

“It's really disheartening. It hasn’t even been a year since we bought it.

"If vandalism is happening to it now, who knows about it happening again even after lockdown."

In CCTV footage seen by the Glasgow Times, a man walks towards the box, appears to punches it multiple times then discards a broken fragment to the ground before casually walking away.

Greig said:“I was fuming and shaking with anger watching the CCTV footage.

“There’s a handle on the box that allows you to open it once the ambulance team gives you the code.

"But he just put his fist right through it – it was obviously an act of vandalism."

Located next to the defibrillator on Glassford Street is a large poster that says 'thank you NHS' in a warming tribute to frontline workers.

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Judy O’Sullivan, Director of Health Innovation Programmes at the British Heart Foundation, said:

"During this difficult time, community spirit has never been more important, and the vandalism of a public access defibrillator goes against that sentiment.

"It will also make the vital, life-saving work of our NHS colleagues in the ambulance services so much harder.

"Nearby access to a defibrillator in an emergency can literally be the difference between life or death, providing a lifeline for cardiac arrest victims until ambulance services arrive."

Local councillor, Thomas Kerr, has condemned the act as "sickening".

He said:"The deliberate and callous act of vandalism on lifesaving equipment is sickening.

"At a time when we're all coming together to defeat an invisible enemy, this is utterly disgusting to see.

"I'm glad that this atrocious act has been caught on CCTV and hope the police track down the culprit responsible."

Police Scotland confirmed they have received a report of the incident.

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0440 of 24 April.