The East of England Ambulance Service saw a 12 per cent surge in demand in Cambridgeshire over the Easter bank holiday.

The service says it received 1,466 emergency calls over the long weekend, compared to the 1,295 calls it received over the same Bank Holiday last year.

Across the East of England, the trust responded to 8,929 incidents between Good Friday and the end of Easter Monday, compared to 8,108 over the same period last year.

Community first responder groups across the East of England attended 384 incidents over the four day Easter break.

Anthony Marsh, chief executive, said: “Whilst so many people have been enjoying their Easter holidays, our staff and volunteers have been working hard to provide the best possible care to patients across the region.

“Bank holidays are always a busy period for the ambulance service, but we were well prepared and I’m proud of all our staff and volunteers who have been carrying out life-saving work for patients and the public in the region this Easter.”

County breakdown of calls this Easter, compared to the same Bank Holiday last year:

Bedfordshire: 1,115 (1,007 in 2014)

Cambridgeshire: 1,466 (1,295 in 2014)

Essex: 3,530 (3,074 in 2014)

Hertfordshire: 1,810 (1,690 in 2014)

Norfolk: 1,722 (1,599 in 2014)

Suffolk: 1,322 (1,309 in 2014)