Paramedic slams councils after pothole wipes out ambulance

An ambulance responding to a 999 call was left out of action on one of Stoke-on-Trent's busiest roads - after hitting a pothole. The ambulance could no longer reach full speed after hitting the Leek Road pothole.

It meant the stricken ambulance had to be sent back to base for repairs and a second ambulance was dispatched to the original emergency.

Now paramedic Nicola Griffiths has hit out at the state of North Staffordshire's roads.

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In a social media 'rant', she said: "We hit a pothole on Leek Road which took the ambulance out of action. We were stranded until our manager arrived and helped us to sort it and it then had to go back to base to be checked over.

"Your loved-one is needing a category one response, time is absolutely critical, every second counts, and then en-route we hit a pothole that takes that ambulance out of service. The time then to get another one running could take some time. Every minute we’re not treating, especially in a cardiac arrest, the closer you are to losing them or getting them back with irreparable damage.

"So, get the absolute state of our roads sorted. This may include having a word with a few of the workers that we witness standing doing nothing for long periods of time. We’re constantly driving round - we miss nothing. Our community is our priority and why we do the job."

The incident happened earlier this month.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Whilst responding to a category two call, one of our ambulances hit a pothole which resulted in the fuel cut off switch being activated. The ambulance, which was still driveable albeit at a reduced speed, was returned to the hub to be reset. A second ambulance was immediately dispatched to attend the original 999 call.”

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