Concerns have been raised about ambulance cover in Peebles

Liberal Democrat Jeremy Purvis said he was unhappy with the practice of retaining ambulances from the town to provide emergency cover in Edinburgh.

He also had concerns about the practice of single-crewing vehicles.

The service said drivers are only sent out alone in exceptional circumstances and added that crews were only used in Edinburgh for life-threatening cases.

The Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale MSP said he had been very impressed by the facilities he had seen at the ambulance dispatch centre in Edinburgh.

If there is a life-threatening emergency and a Peebles crew on its way back is the nearest possible response we will deploy it Ambulance spokesman

However, he said he still had concerns about ambulances which have taken patients from Peebles to Edinburgh being kept in the city on stand-by.

"These are Peebles ambulances and should be available for cover in Peeblesshire 24 hours a day," he said.

Mr Purvis has also requested a written report on how often ambulance drivers are being sent out unaccompanied.

'An exception'

A spokesman for the ambulance service said that single-crewing only happened in extraordinary circumstances.

"We do not deliberately single-man but there are occasions when we will get a call-off," he said.

"It is an exception rather than the rule."

He added that there was no policy to keep Peebles ambulances in Edinburgh on stand-by.