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East of England Ambulance Service invests £15m on fleet

Based on 5.0-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 519 CDI chassis, and fitted with purpose-designed box bodies by German specialist WAS, all are scheduled to enter service by the end of 2014.

Most of the new arrivals will replace older vehicles which are being stood down. However, 27 represent extensions to the fleet, which is increasing in size to 310 units in service across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Following the upgrade, all of the Trust's ambulances will wear the three-pointed star.

Commenting on the order, the Trust’s head of fleet, John Hole, said: ‘The 5.0-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is well proven in operation and offers the combination of performance, reliability, safety and carrying capacity that allows us to provide a high-quality service to patients.’

Key to the model’s appeal for ambulance services nationwide is the availability of a fully automatic gearbox.

'This makes life a lot easier for our drivers, particularly when they’re on a ‘blue light’ call, as it leaves them free to concentrate fully on the road,’ explained Hole.

The Trust has also updated and refined the successful design of the vehicles’ WAS box bodies, for example by adapting the cupboard layout to better reflect the needs of crews, and altering the positioning of the “Battenburg” livery to increase visibility.

Jonathan Ager, dealer principal at Orwell Truck & Van – which supplied the vehicles, added: ‘We're delighted to have won this order from The East of England Ambulance Service. We now look forward to maintaining our excellent relationship with the Trust and to playing our part in delivering this important local service.'

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