Roger Thayne said lives would be lost if the merger of all the services in the West Midlands goes ahead.

The number of ambulance trusts in England could be cut by two-thirds under government proposals.

The public are to be consulted over the plans next month but Mr Thayne warned there were concerns that standards may drop if one regional force is chosen.

Fastest responders

He said there were fears whether the system will still operate in the same way, if staff will be able to use their skills and if ambulances will be as well stocked and as fast to respond.

"The problem with that is if we become part of the regional ambulance service and standards drop, then what do you do? It's too late," he said.

Staffordshire Ambulance Service has the fastest response times in the region.