PARAMEDICS have hit out at yobs who vandalised their cars while they were performing their lifesaving duty.

Allan Archer, aged 25, and Andrew Braithwaite, aged 37, who are both based in Bolton, were told by firefighters that one of the vehicles had been torched and the other had its window smashed while they were in an ambulance caring for a patient.

They said it was not the first time cars parked at the station had been targeted by vandals, who have also attacked emergency vehicles.

The latest incident happened at private company Criticare's Ambulance Station in Pearl Brook Industrial Estate, Horwich, at around 10pm on Friday night, while the two were in Blackpool transporting a patient for a transplant operation.

Mr Braithwaite's Metro was destroyed by fire while Mr Archer's Saab had its window put in.

Mr Archer said: "It was quite clear who these cars belonged to because they were parked in the front of the station. We are both very angry that this has happened while we were out serving the community.

"It was a mindless act. I think the alarm going off on my car caused whoever did it to run away."

Criticare is contracted by the NHS for emergency cover, transports patients and provides medical cover for events.

Mr Braithwaite added that recently that bricks had been thrown at ambulances and wheels stolen from fast response vehicles used to deliver organs to transplant patients.

He said: "They are putting lives at risk but don't seem to care. I've told children who have thrown bricks at the ambulance what would happen if that vehicle was off the road because of their actions and their mum had a heart attack.

"But they just swore at me. When you have an organ to deliver you can't be waiting for the RAC to come out and fix it."

Mr Braithwaite said he hoped parents would take more responsibility for their children in future.

Police are understood to be examining CCTV footage of the attack in a bid to catch the culprits.