AMBULANCE chiefs have thanked staff and volunteers after the service had its “busiest ever” January.

During January, the East of England Amublance Service saw a 12 per cent increase in the amount of calls it received compared to the same month last year.

In Essex, there was an eight per cent year-on-year increase, with 26,642 calls to 999 during the month.

But the service said it still managed to reach most patients with potentially life-threatening conditions within eight minutes.

It is urging the public to think carefully before phoning 999.

Gary Morgan, head of emergency operation centres, said: “The majority of patients do not always require an immediate response, or in some cases, any form of physical response.

“However, for those whose illness or injury does need an immediate and rapid response, we want to get to them as quickly as we can and provide them with the best possible care.

“If you or the person you are with are not in life-threatening danger, help us to respond to those patients who are by using the right service for your needs such as seeing your GP or an out of hours GP, visiting a walk-in centre or minor injuries unit, visiting your pharmacy or calling 111.

“Choosing wiser will help free up some of our capacity to respond to really sick or injured patients more quickly.”