A new full-time ambulance in Burnham should be purely for those living in the district, said Maldon’s MP.

After years of lobbying, a full-time 24-hour ambulance will be brought into the town towards the end of the month to help combat lengthy waiting times in the Dengie.

Although it is intended to attend only local call-outs, it cannot be guaranteed to always be poised to respond in the area, a spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said.

“We are still looking to put in an ambulance by the end of April and obviously that will cover the Dengie, but obviously we can’t guarantee it staying in the area because it will go out to hospitals and that sort of thing,” added the spokesman.

“But I know we have made Burnham a priority, it is an area we have pin pointed early on.”

In an effort to improve performance and patient care, the service also intends to install extra ambulances in Weeley, Clacton and Chelmsford.

See this week's Standard - out tomorrow - for the full story.