Ambulance bosses have condemned vandals for smashing the window of an emergency vehicle while on a 999 callout in east London.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said the criminal damage could put lives at risk as it effects the response to life-threatening emergencies.
LAS staff in Newham said the window of an ambulance car was smashed on Tuesday as paramedics responded to a stabbing in Romford.
In a tweet blasting the vandals, workers said the vehicle had been taken out of service while a new window is fitted.
Peter McKenna, LAS’s deputy director of operations, said: “Acts of vandalism cause a lot of disruption to our service and this vehicle had to be taken off the road.
“Incidents like this are very frustrating because a crew’s ability to respond to potentially life-threatening emergencies is compromised.”
The tweet generated an angry response on social media with the vandals blasted as “scum”.
One wrote: “car off the road, response time longer, they'd be the 1st to complain, if it was needed for one of their own. Scum...”
