A PARAMEDIC claims an ambulance station was left understaffed and a vehicle short -- because a crew and an ambulance went to film an episode of Coronation Street. But ambulance bosses have denied claims the station at Bury was left short and said that adequate cover was provided during the filming. It comes just days after a BEN campaign for improvements in Greater Manchester Ambulance Service and an exclusive interview with top boss Adrian Lucas, who promised to tackle the ambulance service's problems.

The ambulanceman, who would not reveal his name because he said he would lose his job, told the BEN that Bury ambulance station was left understaffed on Monday night for a number of hours so an ambulance could be taken off the road to go to Granada's studios in Manchester to film a special episode of the soap. He also claims that fully trained paramedics who work for GMAS as crew training officers were used in the shoot. He said: "After the paper exposed all the troubles last week, I think it is only right that this is revealed. The ambulance service is so stretched and under pressure at the moment, to take a crew off for a whole shift like they did, just so they could appear on television is absolutely unbelievable.

"That ambulance should have been on the road doing its proper job, not doing a celebrity stint on Coronation Street."

He added: "It wasn't so much the problem of us being short staffed, it was fact that a vehicle that could have been desperately needed was off the road." A spokesman from GMAS confirmed today that an ambulance from Bury was used on Monday night at Granada, but insists the Bury area was fully covered at all times.

She said: "A crew and ambulance was loaned to Granada and this is an occasional arrangement. Granada covers the cost for Greater Manchester Ambulance Service, so we can put contingency plans into place to maintain cover at all times. Bury was fully covered during the filming on Monday night."

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