Ambulance stolen with patient still inside

A man has been arrested after an ambulance was stolen from outside a hospital while a patient was still on board.

It happened at Royal Stoke at about 20:15 GMT on Wednesday, Staffordshire Police said.

As well as the patient, a paramedic and another person were in the back of the ambulance when it was driven off.

None of them were injured during the incident, police said.

Officers followed the vehicle until the driver stopped at an Esso petrol station on the A34, at the junction of Liverpool Road and London Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

A police dog and its handler searched marshland near to London Road and found a man who tried to run away but was stopped by the canine.

Staffordshire Police said a 31-year-old man, from Stoke-on-Trent, was arrested on suspicion of kidnap, vehicle theft, drink driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

He was being questioned in custody on Thursday.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "As soon as the vehicle was brought to a stop, a second ambulance was sent to take the patient to hospital [while] a welfare check was carried out on our member of our staff to maintain their wellbeing.

"A full investigation, alongside Staffordshire Police, is under way to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident."

Anyone with any information was urged to get in touch with police.