TOWN councillors at Marlborough have expressed their opposition to any curtailment or reduction in ambulance services in the town.

Their comments follow the revelation in the Gazette that the Wiltshire Ambulance NHS Trust has ordered its ambulance crews to give priority to built-up areas including Swindon.

Even some of the service's own paramedics have expressed their fears that the move could lead to even longer delays in getting ambulances to emergencies in rural areas like the Marlborough Downs and Pewsey Vale.

Last week Devizes MP Michael Ancram voiced his objection to a two-tier system of ambulance cover for the county depending on whether patients live in the bigger towns or in rural areas.

The latest person to voice concern is the Mayor of Marlborough, Coun Bill Cavill.

He told the town council on Monday that there was a fear that ambulances would be taken away from places like Marlborough to the bigger centres of population like Swindon.

Coun Cavill said: "This would mean that ambulance cover of the area would be considerably reduced.

"If they move one ambulance away then that will mean the Marlborough area being one ambulance less to serve local people."

Coun Cavill said the local ambulance personnel knew the area well and could find their way to addresses on some of the tricky estate roads. He asked: "Would the crew of an ambulance called from Salisbury know their way around the town?

"It's much better for the people to stay in the area they know."

Coun David Parker said it was only two or three years ago when he was serving on the Swindon and Marlborough Community Health Council that a suggestion was made to sell-off the ambulance station in Stonebridge Close.

Referring to the ambulance service's new response system that gives priority to the bigger towns he said: "We must say we deplore this move to take this service away. This town has lost enough services already."

Coun Hilary Cripps said: "We should as a council write in the strongest possible terms objecting to this."

Coun Nick Fogg said recent heavy snowfalls had proved that the town could easily be cut off in bad weather.

Councillors agreed to write to the ambulance service deploring any cut-back in ambulance cover of the Marlborough area.