AMBULANCE bosses in the region have welcomed a new law which gets tough with anyone obstructing 999 crews on their way to emergency calls.

The law comes at a time when the North-East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is seeing more and more attacks on staff, vehicles and equipment.

Only this week, an eight-year-old boy threw a brick at the windscreen of an NEAS ambulance.

Last week, an NEAS ambulance was taken from outside a caller's house as the crew were inside treating a patients and subsequently written off.

The law will increase punishment for those who deliberately obstruct ambulance staff in trying to do their job.

Last week, a drug-fuelled patient who sank his teeth into the hand of an NEAS ambulance technician on Teesside was jailed for 15 months.

Sandy Bethall, 53, who was on the receiving end of the bite, said: "Although I am delighted with the verdict my attacker received, this new law means in future punishment will be tougher. Not only will attackers be punished for assault but for also obstructing me in trying to do my job."

Paul Liversidge, NEAS director of ambulance operations said: "It is a regular occurrence for our staff to be obstructed in one form or another by individuals or groups displaying threatening behaviour and we will not tolerate this.

"We encourage our staff to report any incident which obstructs staff through our agreed reporting process and the trust will support staff should they decide to take legal action against those individuals involved."

Anyone damaging an ambulance which results in the crew being taken off the road will be severely punished by the courts and anyone blocking an ambulance from an emergency call could face a £5,000 fine.