AN ambulance worker who hurt his back while moving a 19-stone patient today won £140,000 compensation.

Norman Thurrell was transferring the man from an ambulance to the Duchess of York Hospital in Manchester when two wheels came off the undercarriage of the stretcher he was using.

Mr Thurrell, 58, of Denton, Tameside, was left supporting the patient's weight for five minutes and injured his back and leg so severely that he was forced to give up his job.

Greater Manchester Ambulance Service agreed to make the the award for the incident in August 1999 in an out-of-court settlement.

Afterwards the public service union Unison, who fought Mr Thurrell's case, called for more measures to prevent such injuries in the health service.

The union said it recovered more than £1.5 million last year for health workers who suffered back injuries at work.

National health officer Jon Richards said: "We are calling foine ambulance workers to be more involved in the purchase of new equipment.

"We areconstantly having to bring cases to court where workers have been injured by the equipment they use.

"Some of the trolleys and carry-chairs we see are well past their sell-by date or not maintained. Others appear to have been designed without thought for the worker who has to lift them."

Mr Thurrell, an ambulanceman for 21 years, said: "I've lost the job that I love through no fault of my own. I would like to see ambulance workers given much more say over the type of equipment and ambulances used."