Concern over Market Drayton ambulance cover

A north Shropshire mayor has accused ambulance bosses of "not fulfilling" their obligations in providing adequate emergency cover for the area.

Councillor Roger Smith said "it wasn't good enough" for ambulances based in Market Drayton to be diverted to other parts of Shropshire to meet Government response times.

The comments were made at a council meeting last night where West Midlands Ambulance Service officials were questioned on the level of cover in the area.

The meeting came after claims by Councillor Smith that Market Drayton's ambulance station in Maer Lane was being left unmanned for long periods.

He said: "I spoke to some of the ambulance personnel in Market Drayton and I gleaned from them that a lot of their time was being spent giving cover in Shrewsbury and Telford."

Councillor Smith claimed WMAS was diverting ambulances from Market Drayton to other areas to meet a response target of 75 per cent in reaching calls involving life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes.

WMAS assistant chief ambulance officer Mark Gough said: "We do move our resources around on a dynamic basis to respond to calls, just to make sure we have resources in the right place and at the right time as best we can."