CONCERNS have been raised over the future of Tywyn’s Ambulance Station.

Tywyn town councillor John Pughe, who worked as a lead ambulance crew member in the service before retirement, told the Cambrian News he has heard rumours that the station is under threat of closure, with facilities being relocated to Dolgellau Hospital instead, some 20 miles away.

But the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust has moved to reassure residents that there are currently “no plans” to shut down the service.

However, Cllr Pughe still believes the move is “very much on the cards”, regardless.

“It would be yet another service lost from Tywyn, yet another nail in the coffin,” he told the Cambrian News.

“Apparently they’ve looked at the response times in the area and seen that they are very good, so moving the station would not be an issue.

“No disrespect to the ambulance crews, but that’s due to the excellent Community First Responders we have here as opposed to anything else.

“One responder told me just recently that someone had to wait more than an hour and three-quarters for an ambulance.

“Frequently people wait for over an hour.

“The First Responders are an aide - a very valuable aide - to the ambulance service, but they’re not meant to be a replacement for them. You need to get qualified paramedics on scene as quickly as possible.

“We need to keep the ambulance station open, preferably with more staff available.

“The matter will be discussed at the next town council meeting and we will do everything we can to maintain services for the community and the surrounding areas.”

When asked to comment on the potential closure, Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s head of operations for the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area, said: “We would like to reassure the community that we currently have no plans to close the ambulance station in Tywyn.

“We are, however, conducting an estates strategy review right across Wales to identify opportunities to provide improved facilities.”

“If there are any changes to the configuration of our estate this will be to improve services and affected communities will be kept fully informed,” she added.