South West Ambulance Service reports 25% call increase

The wintry weather has seen a 25% rise in the number of emergency calls for paramedics across the south west of England.

Crews have been sent to crashes, slips and falls, after snow and ice caused treacherous road conditions.

South West Ambulance Service said it had received 1,755 calls between Saturday and Monday, compared to 1,346 at the start of December.

It covers Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and Somerset.

On Saturday it received 1,893 calls, 1,718 on Sunday and 1,656 on Monday after heavy snow fell across the region.

In a bid to keep the service running, some staff were provided with emergency accommodation close to work to handle the increase in calls and to ensure staff managed to get into work themselves.