A report of damage to the tyres of six ambulances at the Make Ready station in Haine Road, by Westwood, has been made to police today (March 22).

According to a social media report from a paramedic site worker the tyres of several vehicles were drilled, forcing them off the road.

A spokesperson for South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed damage to six vehicles, saying: “Six of our frontline ambulances were deliberately damaged overnight at our Make Ready Centre in Thanet.

“Our fleet staff have worked tremendously hard this morning to ensure that the impact on our patients was minimal. However, it was additional work at a time we are already under significant pressure.”

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “We have received a report of damage to tyres on one ambulance which had been parked in Haine Road Ramsgate. The damage was discovered shortly after 7am today. It is unclear at this stage whether it was caused deliberately.”

Paramedics at the station are among our frontline staff working to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak in addition to normal duties.

Make Ready is a system where ambulances are prepared by a dedicated team of specialists who clean, restock and check the equipment before te beginning and at the end of every shift. Vehicles are regularly deep-cleaned and swabbed for the presence of micro-organisms including MRSA and CDiff.

National data

As of 9am on 22 March 2020, 78,340 people have been tested in the UK, of which 72,657 were confirmed negative and 5,683 were confirmed positive.

281 – a rise of 48 – patients in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.

In Kent, 48 people are confirmed as positive for the virus – up 13 from March 20 – with a further 11 in Medway.

Confirmed cases in Thanet include one at Birchington Vale, another in Westgate, a staff member at Saga and a parent of a Chatham & Clarendon grammar student as well as an unconfirmed number being treated at QEQM Hospital.