AMBULANCE bosses have done a U-turn and promised an extra 80 hours of crew cover in Tendring, following talks with concerned council leaders.

The East of England Ambulance Service came under fire last year after it was revealed Clacton would lose one of its two full-time ambulances, while Weeley would lose both its round-the-clock vehicles.

The changes were part of a bid to save £50million across the region by slashing services.

But ambulance chiefs have now agreed to reinstate 16 additional hours, five days a week at its Weeley base.

The move came after Tendring Council lobbied the service after it announced the cuts late last year.

Lynda McWilliams, cabinet member for health and community safety, said talks to discuss the concerns had been successful.

“We held discussions about how the service was being run in Tendring and the fact that we were not happy with the proposed reductions in the hours of crew time,” she said.

“There was a meeting at the Weeley Ambulance Station and as a direct result of the concerns raised there will be an additional 16 hours provided five days a week from the site from next month.”

Trevor Redburn, of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, said: “This is excellent news for the community of Tendring.

“This demonstrates that we have listened carefully to the people of Tendring and their representatives to provide a service that will meet their needs for now and the future.

“We are not closing either station, but providing ambulance resource cover to match call demand during certain times of the day and night when required."

He added: “We will continue to listen and meet up with the community and their representatives to resolve any issues or questions they may have.”