I WOULD like to pass comment on Mr Russell Hamilton's (Your Letters, December 23) letter regarding proposals for the relocation of Ledbury ambulance service, in his capacity as chief executive of the Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

While I have complete faith in Mr Hamilton's commitment to maintaining current staff levels and the number of ambulances etc, I fear the need to reduce overheads could lead the service into a blind alley.

Any future agreement to use alternate premises will no doubt result in the sale of the present ambulance station.

These replacement premises would presumably involve leasing or renting accommodation for essential vehicles and staff.

If the NHS Trust does not own these premises then it will no longer have complete control of them and potentially the landlord could one day evict the ambulance service from its premises at the end of any lease. Could this cause the premature closure of a Ledbury-based ambulance service?

If this scenario is dismissed as scaremongering, then I truly hope to be proved wrong. I do not relish the prospect of an ambulance having to travel from Hereford to a Ledbury patient and then make a high speed return journey. There are enough accidents on our roads without current economies creating future problems.

MRS DIANA BEETLESTONE, Little Marcle Road, Ledbury.