Cave rescue team ambulance stolen

[Cheryl Jones]

Cave rescue team ambulance stolen
BBC News

The ambulance is used to rescue people trapped in caves
A cave rescue team says its response times have been seriously hit by the theft of a £36,000 off-road ambulance.

Thieves broke into the headquarters of west Brecon rescue team in Powys and damaged valuable medical equipment before stealing the specialist vehicle.

Rescuers say it may now take an extra 90 minutes to scramble the nearest team, in Gloucester, in an emergency.

They condemned the thieves - who also stole equipment - as "callous and without conscience".

The team believe it could take weeks to replace the 4x4 Land Rover and medical goods, worth about £40,000.

The west Brecon rescue team, which is based in Penwllt, helps save people trapped in caves and old underground mine workings across mid and south Wales. It celebrates its 60th anniversary in August.

The stolen and damaged equipment was bought with charitable donations and grant funding.

Gary Evans, lead call-out warden and team medical officer, said police and a neighbouring team in Gloucester had kindly offered to help with emergencies.

"This could delay our response time by up to one-and-a-half hours as the nearest cave team ambulance is based in Gloucester," he said.

"We paid for the vehicle through voluntary fund raising and grant applications, but this has compromised our ability to deliver our service. It has seriously hit us."

The thieves smashed through the door of the headquarters with a pick axe on 14 May and stole the vehicle.

The vehicle contains a specialised winch, medical and communications equipment and stretchers to help people injured underground.

The team said funds had to be raised to match a shortfall in insurance.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wale ... 985322.stm

[NZcaver]

B@stards!

[NZcaver]

Stolen ambulance found in forest
BBC News

An off-road ambulance stolen from a specialist cave rescue team has been recovered from a forest in south Wales.
Thieves broke into the headquarters of the West Brecon Rescue Team near Abercrave last Sunday and stole the £34,000 Land Rover.

The vehicle was discovered apparently undamaged in Rheola Forest near Neath. Police believe thieves had found it too specialised to sell.

A team spokesman said it was a "real relief" to get the ambulance back.

The Land Rover was recovered by the rescue team on Monday night and is now being examined by forensic officers.

Valuable medical equipment damaged by the thieves will have to replaced. The vehicle will then be fitted with new locks and tracking device.

Helicopter search

Gary Evans, lead call-out warden and team medical officer, said: "We went and collected it last night. It's a real relief to have it found and it's even more of a relief to have it in relatively good condition.

"It had been driven down deep into the forest. It does look intact and the equipment we expected to be in there appeared to be there."

Mr Evans said a man involved with the Red Dragon rally at the weekend had spotted the vehicle.

"He couldn't quite locate where he had seen it, so he gave a rough description to the police and they found it from the air using a helicopter," he said.

Grant funding

Mr Evans added it would cost about £2,500 to get the Land Rover back in service, which the team hopes to do within a week.

The team had warned response times could be seriously hit by the theft of the 4x4 ambulance.

The west Brecon rescue team, which is based in Penwllt, helps save people trapped in caves and old underground mine workings across mid and south Wales. It celebrates its 60th anniversary in August.

The stolen and damaged equipment was bought with charitable donations and grant funding.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/5007724.stm