TWO more Scottish councils have pledged to help save the lives of more people who have suffered a cardiac arrest, following pressure by the Evening Times.

Every high school in Perth and Kinross will now offer pupils training in cardiopulmary resuscitation by next year, with support from British Heart Foundation Scotland.

Clackmannshire Council has also said CPR training could be introduced to all the region's secondary schools.

A council spokeswoman confirmed plans were being developed to introduce training to all three high schools after the Summer break.

Earlier this year, Glasgow City Council became the first UK city to pledge to make the first aid lessons mandatory in all its secondary schools. Discussions are underway about how this will be taken forward.

Aberdeen City Council, later vowed to do the same and our Scotland’s Got Heart campaign is aiming to persuade all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities to sign up.

The UK government last week announced that it changing the law to embed CPR training in the school curriculum.The Scottish Government has so far ruled out a similar policy change north of the border but has encouraged councils to get behind the Evening Times’ campaign.

In Scotland, only one in 20 people who have a cardiac arrest outside hospital survive, compared to one in 10 in England while in Denmark, where schools have compulsory CPR training, the statistic is just one in four.

British Heart Foundation Scotland is in talks with several other local authorities and has pledged to supply every school with a £1300 training kit.

A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “Currently six out of ten secondary schools in Perth and Kinross are signed up for Heartstart training or being part of the Call, Push, Rescue programme.

“These programmes will be rolled out to the remaining four secondary schools during the 2018-19 term and it is up to individual schools and headteachers to decide the best way to engage with CPR training programmes, which will be based on the needs and requirements of their community.”

Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, Alexander Stewart, said: "The British Heart Foundation has made a very compelling case and the benefits of teaching CPR in the Wee County’s schools are clear.

“I am pleased to be working closely with the foundation and with the ambulance service to take the steps that have been identified."

Research carried out by BHF found the majority of the Scottish public believe pupils should learn life-saving skills.