Five West Midlands Ambulance Service staff attacked in weekend

Five workers have been assaulted and two vehicles vandalised in one weekend, an ambulance service said.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said their staff were assaulted by patients they were sent to help in Birmingham, Telford and Redditch but no-one was seriously injured.

One of the ambulances is still off the road after its windscreen was smashed, it added.

It appealed for anyone with information about the attacks to come forward.

One of the staff had been working at the Trust's City Centre Treatment Unit (CCTU) in Birmingham when they were assaulted on Saturday, the ambulance service said.

The two ambulances were both vandalised while on 999 calls in Birmingham on Sunday.

The first needed jet washing after an egg was thrown at its wing mirror in Este Road in Yardley some time between 19:15 and 20:10 BST while the ambulance crew were inside a property treating a patient, the service said.

At about 23:30, a crew was responding to a call on Reservoir Road in Erdington and, on returning to their ambulance at 01:30 after treating a patient, found the windscreen was smashed.

The vehicle is now off the road awaiting repair.

Craig Cooke, assistant chief ambulance officer, said: "I simply do not know what goes through the minds of these horrible individuals.

"Thankfully, our on-board CCTV has captured some excellent footage, which will be passed on to our police colleagues to assist with identifying and charging the culprits.

"I can only hope the offenders are then handed generous sentences by the judicial system for their abhorrent crimes against a 999 service here to help people in their hour of need."

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