A disused BT phone box is to become a life-saving Tardis – by being fitted with a heart defibrillator.
The traditional red booth in the village of Chedworth, Glos., is to house an emergency medical kit which jump-starts the heart during cardiac arrest.
Parish leaders came up with the idea because ambulances take so long to reach their rural community.
Villagers are now signing up to learn how to use the hi-tech device, which costs £1,200 and is being part funded by the British Heart Foundation.
Locals have already drawn comparisons with Dr Who’s fabled Tardis in the hit BBC One show.
David Broad, clerk at Chedworth Parish Council, said: ”I wish it was a tardis as it would give us a lot more room!
”We decided to put in the defibrillator because we are in a really rural area and ambulance response times are pretty appalling.
”Out here it is quite common for people to just take their loved ones to the nearest hospital – about ten miles away – to save time.
”We sometimes get ambulances coming here from Swindon or Cheltenham and they can take up to an hour to arrive as the village is awkward to find.
”Now with the right people trained, hopefully the defibrillator will prove to be a good back-up plan.
”This machine could be used to one day to save someone’s life.”
Villagers came up with the novel idea after buying back their iconic K6 red kiosk from British Telecom for £1.
The defibrillator will be alarmed to ward off vandals and fundraising is already underway in Chedworth.
Half the cost will be met by the British Heart Foundation, which praised the village for its innovative step.