Air ambulance charities battling rising fuel costs

Air ambulance charities in the East of England said the rising cost of fuel was putting pressure on their life-saving services.

Cambridgeshire-based Magpas said soaring costs had created an unexpected £50,000 gap in its budget.

Executive medical director Simon Lewis said the organisation, which also serves counties such as Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, was paying about twice as much as what it had budgeted for fuel.

Other charities that serve Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk told the BBC they were facing similar challenges. The government said it would continue to work with fuel suppliers to address issues.

Magpas said each deployment cost the charity about £3,000 – meaning its shortfall was the equivalent of about 17 missions.

Lewis said demand for the charity's services had reached record levels, "but more missions mean more flying hours".

Matthew Jones, chief executive of East Anglian Air Ambulance, which has bases in Norwich and Cambridge, said the organisation had forecasted further fuel cost rises.

"If the current price per litre of fuel is to persist for the next 12 months, we can expect an approximate £200,000 increase in our annual fuel costs, based on what the price was before the Iran war and on our current levels of activity and flying hours," he said.

Fuel prices surged when the US-Israel war with Iran began in February, with the production and transportation of fuel across the Middle East slowing or stopping entirely.

Motorists across the UK have seen steep price increases at fuel pumps too.

Mark Jarman-Howe, chief executive of Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, said the organisation was "absorbing considerably higher fuel costs".

The cost of keeping the service running was already at £1m a month," he added.

"At times like this, we're asking people to consider any extra help they can give."

A government spokesperson said: "Air ambulance charities are a lifeline to thousands in communities across the country and we thank and celebrate the extraordinary volunteers that keep these essential services flying every day.

"The UK remains well stocked for all fuel types. We continue to work with suppliers to make sure people keep moving and businesses are supported while the conflict is ongoing."

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