A volunteer ambulance crew from Alston has been suspended after they allegedly switched their blue lights on while attending an emergency call.
The incident occurred on Friday 5 October.
The crew were on their way to a suspected heart attack when it’s believed a car blocked the road at The Butts in Alston, it’s alleged that the ambulance driver switched on the blue lights while stationary for a few seconds to signal to the driver that they were on an emergency call.
A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service said: “The trust is currently investigating reports that two ambulance volunteers have been driving on blue lights without the necessary training.
“While we very much appreciate the work undertaken by the volunteers in Alston, emergency response driving can put other road users, staff and patients at risk and so requires extensive training to ensure their safety. There are strict guidance and laws which cover blue light driving, which would be covered in the training so it is essential that blue light responders are aware of these or they could find themselves being prosecuted for road traffic offences, therefore we are taking these allegations very seriously.
“The volunteers in question have been stood down from duties whilst the investigation is ongoing.”
