Ambulance staff received more than 9,000 emergency calls during the May bank holiday weekend.

From Friday to Sunday they received 8 per cent more calls than last year, and the highest number of calls came from Essex.

The county made 2,772 calls to the East of England Ambulance service, which is 4 per cent more than last year.

Essex was closely followed by Hertfordshire, which had 1,559 calls over the bank holiday weekend, a 7 per cent increase from last year.

Sandy Brown, EEAST Deputy Chief Executive, said: “We continue to experience high levels of demand and the bank holiday weekend was another busy one for the Trust.

"However, we were prepared and coped well, despite the demands being placed on the service.

“This is testament to the hard work and commitment of all our staff and volunteers across the East of England.”

The Trust’s 'It's your call' campaign helps inform people and educate others on how 999 calls are handled and prioritised so that in the event of a medical problem, they know what to do.

For more information, visit http://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/News-and-Media/Campaigns/its-your-call.htm Ambulance staff and volunteers have been thanked for their hard work during the busy bank holiday weekend.