New ambulances are arriving at ambulance stations across Essex as part of the service’s aim to improve and expand its existing fleet.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) will be replacing 120 old and broken ambulances with brand new ones by the end of April. Ambulance stations across the county will benefit from 33 replacement vehicles.

On joining the Trust at the beginning of the year, chief executive Dr Anthony Marsh made it clear that one of his priorities was to improve the service’s fleet. He said: “We need to get more ambulances on the road treating patients and we also need to ensure that those ambulances meet the needs of both the crews and the people they care for.

“It is my ambition for us to have no ambulance or response car that is more than five years old.”

The Trust is also replacing 68 of its rapid response cars with brand new Skoda Scouts, a process it expects to complete by June.

Glen Young, EEAST general manager for Essex, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to replace our older ambulances with these brand new ones.

“It’s important that we have as many ambulances on the road as possible and it’s also vital that they are in good working condition so that they can respond to patients in a timely and safe manner.”

The news of the replacement ambulances comes after the Trust announced the delivery of three additional ambulances to be placed around the region – with more to be announced in the coming weeks.