Fewer people call for ambulances on service’s biggest strike so far

Safety not thought to be affected despite up to 25,000 workers joining picket lines across England and Wales

Fewer people called for an ambulance on the service’s biggest strike day so far, during which up to 25,000 union members join picket lines across England and Wales to express their “disappointment” and “despair” over pay and staffing levels.

Up to 25,000 paramedics, 999 call handlers, ambulance drivers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions staged staggered strikes against a below-inflation 4% pay deal on Wednesday. The industrial action covered most of England, except the east, and nearly all of Wales.