TOWN councillors are calling on ambulance chiefs to have a meeting with them over the planned closure of their local station.

Ross-on-Wye town councillor Phil Cutter said the proposed closure of the town’s ambulance station before the end of March would be “an absolute disgrace”.

He and fellow councillors want a meeting with West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) bosses, who said earlier this month the Haigh Industrial Estate station would close before the end of March.

But town councillors say this will leave the town in a vulnerable position as it is on the very edge of the West Midlands.

While labelling any closure a ‘disgrace’, Councillor Cutter said ambulances could possibly use the Homs road car park.

WMAS have claimed paramedics do not get the chance to return to the Ross station.

A spokesperson said it will not continue to “plough money” into a rarely used building, and will instead increase the number of ambulances and paramedics.

They added: “Due to the rise in activity it is now rare for the response post in Ross-on-Wye to be used, as the ambulance based at the site simply does not get back there before being sent to help another patient.

“It is much better to save that money and increase the number of paramedics and ambulances.

“For these reasons, we will close the response post in Ross-on-Wye before the end of March, but the number of resources operating in Herefordshire will not reduce.

Ross-on-Wye mayor, Councillor Jane Roberts, said there had been no consultation period prior to the WMAS decision, something she claimed was happening repeatedly with NHS services.

“I am very disappointed that yet again decisions about the provision of NHS services in Ross are being taken without consultation,” she said. “We’ve had the minor injury unit closed for the third year running, without consultation again.

“I will be asking the town council to contact West Midlands Ambulance Service to request assurances that they will monitor and share response time data for our town.

“We need the impact of this decision to be transparent.”