AIR ambulances are now working in Worcestershire 12 hours a day.

County Air Ambulances are already a common sight in the sky over Worcester-shire but after a decision to revise operational response across the region, the charity has extended flying hours from 10 to 12 a day.

West Midlands Ambulance Service is responsible for the operational management of the helicopter service. Ian Clayton, the service's air operations manager, said the increase is a positive move for patient care.

He said: "A number of changes are planned to develop the future of the air ambulance service.

"One of the first is to extend the operational flying hours of the aircraft.

"The Strensham aircraft is the first to work additional hours, which can only be a positive benefit for the community it serves. In the coming months the other bases will follow, resulting in an aircraft online for a period of 14 hours, a day seven days a week."

Worcestershire County Air Ambulance is based at a site in Strensham just off the M5. It serves an area of 8,000 sq miles and a population of eight million people living in the West Midlands, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staf-fordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucester-shire and Powys.