A MAN'S lucky escape after a fish became lodged in his throat has prompted calls for more medical gear on the seafront.

Sam Quilliam, 28, was trying to “kiss the fish” - a tradition of saying thank you to the catch before returning it to the water - when the 14cm Dover sole wiggled free and jumped down his throat on Boscombe Pier on October 5.

Mr Quilliam, who made a full recovery from his ordeal, suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of oxygen deprivation. His friends were directed to perform CPR by an emergency medical dispatcher until paramedics arrived.

At a recent council meeting, Councillor Philip Stanley Watts called for public-use defibrillators to be installed at the seafront.

"What with the unfortunate incident of the angler and the fish, which was a bit serious for the angler who had a cardiac arrest on Boscombe Pier, could we now have a defibrillator on the pier?" he said.

Cllr Pat Oakley, cabinet member for tourism and leisure, said the borough was already looking into providing the equipment ready for the 2018 season.

"I'm very pleased to report that the seafront team have already been looking at providing publicly accessible defibs in the key strategic sites on the seafront in readiness for next year," he said.

"This would be in addition to the high standards of beach safety management that already exist, working with our partners including RNLI lifeguard teams."

Seafront teams for both Bournemouth and Poole were recently merged under one management structure in a bid to improve efficiency.

Mr Quilliam's unusual brush with death made national headlines, but every summer a number of beachgoers in Bournemouth and Poole experience health difficulties including heart problems.

Public defibrillators have become increasingly common in recent years, often placed at schools and community centres, or near bodies of water.

They are typically made with easy to follow instructions and are designed so they are unlikely to cause harm if improperly used.