Surge in ambulance calls prompts public plea for restraint

In February 2015 the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) received 9,864 call-outs.

But last month that figure had shot up to 10,870 - a 10.1 per cent increase.

Rob Ashford, acting director of service delivery for EEAST, said: Of course the NHS is here for those people who have an urgent need, and we are called to help the really ill and most injured.

“Help us by looking after yourself as much as you possibly can.

“If you are not sure, call 111 for advice or visit your pharmacy.”

999 ambulance calls also increase significantly across the region.

EEAST covers six counties - Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk - and saw the total number of call-outs rise from just over 72,000 in February 2015 to more than 85,000 calls last month.