EVERY emergency ambulance in Bolton will have a sophisticated heart machine on board by next September, giving heart attack victims a better chance of survival.

Millions of pounds of lottery money will pay for the new equipment.

Paramedics will be able to test if a patient needs vital drugs to combat blood clotting and then warn hospital staff in advance so that they can be ready with it when the ambulance arrives at casualty.

A total of £26.5 million has been given by the Lottery's New Opportunities Fund to equip ambulances across the country with the new equipment during the next 12 months.

A pilot scheme involving three ambulances at Atherton begins this month.

If it is successful, Bolton's ambulances will get the equipment next September as well as defibrillation machines that restart the heart.

The Government has said that patients should receive drugs to beat blood clotting -- a system called thrombolysis -- within 50 minutes of the patient first suffering from pain.

Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said that at the moment, there could be a 10-minute delay at casualty finding out if patients need thrombolysis.

Stations at Atherton and Glossop have been chosen to operate pilot schemes because it can take more than 30 minutes for patients to arrive at the nearest casualty department.

The new equipment, which is a more complex version of the original electro-cardiogram machine, will mean paramedics can warn casualty staff well in advance to be prepared to give the drugs. Ambulance crews are currently being trained to use the equipment.

Bolton has a legacy of heart disease with Bolton people more likely to suffer from a heart attack due to lifestyles and genetic factors.

The Royal Bolton Hospital is among just 33 nationwide which is meeting its strict targets for coronary health care by giving the clot-busting drugs to 75 per cent of patients in under half an hour.

Mr Antony Marsh, director of operations for Greater Manchester Ambulanc e Service, said the new machines were a further step forward. He added that the ambulance service was also hoping to pilot a system where paramedics actually give the drugs before they get to casualty to reduce treatment times even further.