AMBULANCE bosses have been struggling for years to ensure paramedics get to 999 patients quickly.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service – and the North Yorkshire service before it – have repeatedly promised to get to grips with poor response times.

Yet still the service is regularly missing its York response target of reaching 75 per cent of emergencies such as heart attacks within eight minutes.

Just a couple of days ago army reservist Graham Allinson, who came to the help of a young woman trapped when her car flipped into a ditch, said it took about an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

We understand the difficulties ambulance bosses have responding quickly in a huge county like Yorkshire. But in emergencies, every minute counts.

The service really must do better.