A GIRL whose life was saved by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has appealed for a re-think after councillors launched enforcement action at the service’s only base in North Yorkshire.

Hambleton District councillors have launched planning enforcement action at Bagby Airfield, near Thirsk, after a public inquiry into aircraft noise levels, between the airfield’s owner, Martin Scott, and residents in nearby villages.

At a meeting in Northallerton Civic Centre on Friday, Mr Scott was told officers would launch enforcement action over the number of flights, runway length and several buildings, some of which are used by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as their sole centre outside the headquarters in Leeds.

Charlotte Leighton, 16, who was flown to hospital with horrific injuries after a road accident in 2006, in Tollerton, ten miles from Bagby, said the air ambulance’s rapid response had saved her life and called for a re-think.

Her father, Colin, said: “Response times are critical and if you can knock five or ten minutes off a journey that is critical. This decision would appear to be a bit pig-headed.”

Hambleton District councillor Mark Robson said the enforcement officers would seek to reduce aircraft noise levels in the area rather than target specific activities.

He said: “Everyone appreciates the work of the air ambulance and we wouldn’t want to see its service affected in any way. The district council is not legally obliged to enforce anything. Each of the buildings will be looked at case-by-case by our officers.”