Potentially life-saving blood pressure monitors can now be borrowed from Okehampton Library.

The aim is to encourage more people to regularly check their blood pressure at home and submit their reading to their local surgery, as it could save their life.

Dr Kay Brennan, Devon GP, said: “One in three adults in the UK have raised blood pressure but many don’t realise it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is through a blood pressure check.”

The kits include a monitor, a simple instruction leaflet, a blood pressure diary to record the readings, and advice on what to do if numbers are high.

Okehampton Library, on North Street, is one of 50 libraries in Devon which now have blood pressure kits which can be borrowed for up to three weeks.