“Don’t put lives at risk” call.

With more heavy rain forecast for the coming weekend, West Midlands Ambulance Service is urging the public to heed weather warnings and follow safety advice.

The ambulance service will have addition vehicles on duty this weekend as heavy rain and strong winds once again hit parts of the West Midlands region

WMAS Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Craig Cooke, said: “In general, over the weekend we would ask all members of the public to follow the advice of the Environment Agency and other emergency services and stay away from flood control areas, rivers, streams and other waterways at this time. We would also advise motorists to exercise extreme caution and not attempt driving through flooded roads.

“Not heeding the many safety warnings puts lives at risk, including ambulance staff and other emergency service personnel called to provide a service in these most challenging of conditions.”

The ambulance service is likely to face a busy time this weekend and the service is reminding the public that they should only call 999 for life threatening emergencies.  For less urgent cases of illness, injury or pre-existing conditions, the public are advised to consider alternative medical assistance such as their GP, NHS 111, visit a walk-in centre or consult a pharmacist.