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Ambulance stolen during 999 call | Ambulance stolen during 999 call |
(20 minutes later) | |
An ambulance on a 999 call was stolen from a driveway while the crew were attending to a woman in her home. | |
The vehicle was found abandoned a short time later after it had become stuck in mud on wasteground close to a river. | |
The woman did not need hospital care in the alert in Bridgend early on Sunday, but the ambulance service said it was "disgusted" by the theft. | |
South Wales Police said a man wearing red shorts was seen running from the ambulance. | |
The ambulance thief struck after paramedics were called to treat a woman in the Cefn Glas area of the town at about 0100 GMT. | |
Nothing was stolen from the vehicle, but it was found to have been damaged in a "minor" accident with another vehicle, believed to be stationary at the time, before being abandoned. | |
It could have been the difference between life and death Rob Jeffrey, Welsh Ambulance Service | |
The vehicle was checked by a mechanic and senior officers and was returned to service by 0230 GMT. | The vehicle was checked by a mechanic and senior officers and was returned to service by 0230 GMT. |
The ambulance service has launched a joint investigation with South Wales Police. | The ambulance service has launched a joint investigation with South Wales Police. |
Rob Jeffrey, production manager for the ambulance service, said the vehicle "may well have ended up in a river" if it had not become bogged down in mud. | |
He said: "We're dismayed and disgusted. | |
"Clearly, the people who took the ambulance were not aware of what we were dealing with in the home and any number of calls could have come in in that time. | |
"It could have been the difference between life and death." | |
He said if the paramedic crew had been dealing with a life-threatening emergency, a replacement ambulance would have needed to be despatched from Porthcawl. | |
Police are appealing for anyone with information to call them on 01656 655555 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 | Police are appealing for anyone with information to call them on 01656 655555 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 |
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