999 ambulance's second breakdown

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An ambulance has broken down while on an emergency call for the second time in two weeks.

It was on its way from Altnagelvin hospital in Londonderry to Limavady to pick up a patient when it broke down in Greysteel on Friday.

Two weeks ago the same ambulance broke down on the Culmore Road in Derry while taking a patient to hospital.

John McPoland from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said the breakdown was due to a "totally unrelated fault".

A second ambulance was sent from Derry to collect the patient from a doctor's surgery.

Paramedic and union official with Unison, John Kay, said there needs to be more investment in vehicles.

"I can remember back to the days when we bought second hand Welsh ambulances.

"I've personally been involved in driving those ambulances where the back doors flew open, and I've been involved in a situation where a petrol tank fell off the bottom of an ambulance because of rusted brackets," he said.

"I thought those days were past.

"I thought the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service had started a programme of the rolling purchase of ambulances, but this seems to have stopped again, and I'm asking why."

John McPoland from the NIAS said they were waiting for new ambulances to be added to the fleet.

"We have made business cases to the department, and in fact in this particular year the minister has made available £2m to provide 20 accident and emergency vehicles.

"We're just waiting for the approval of the business case on that," he said.