BURY Ambulance Service has taken delivery of four new vehicles to improve its transport of disabled patients.

The wheelchair-friendly ambulances were unveiled at Bury ambulance station.

The state-of-the-art vehicles, bigger than a car but smaller than a van, have a retractable ramp so that wheelchair users can get in and out without having to leave their chairs.

The new vans, which cost £18,500 each, have been brought in to replace the large ex-emergency ambulances which were being used for transporting non-urgent patients to hospital for appointments. Because the old ambulances were essentially cast-offs, they were not designed for wheelchair access which meant that patients had to be lifted from their chairs into the vehicles.

Sarah Bailey MBE, world-class swimmer and Paralympic gold medallist who lives in Eccles, was on hand to examine the new purchases and Allen Partington, from Bolton, tested them out.

Sarah said: "The new vehicles are fantastic for electric wheelchair users and it is wonderful to see they have been designed with patients' needs in mind."

Allen, who helped advise the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service (GMAS) on what type of vehicle would be most suitable for wheelchair users, said: "I really feel I keep my independence in these. I'll be using them to get to ho0pital for my check-ups."

GMAS chief executive, John Burnside, said a total of 42 of the specially adapted ambulances had been bought for use in the whole region, aiming to reduce journey times to hospitals while providing added comfort for the patient.