HAMPSHIRE’S vital emergency air ambulances could soon fly at night thanks to a £250,000 funding boost.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) is one of several air ambulance charities in the UK to benefit from a £5m fund generated from LIBOR fines.

A number of banks were fined after it emerged a series of fraudulent actions connected to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) were carried out.

It led to fines of hundreds of millions of pounds and a £5m fund for ambulance charities set up as a result.

The funding was confirmed during a meeting between the Chancellor George Osborne and the national Association of Air Ambulances (AAA), which will distribute the money to 20 local air ambulance charities.

Extensive lobbying by the AAA resulted in the move, with the amount boosted by the announcement of relief of VAT on air ambulance charities and aviation fuel.

HIOWAA will receive £250,000 from the fund, which will contribute to the introduction of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations at night.

The grant will allow facilities at the organisation’s Thruxton airbase to be enhanced to support teams in night operations, including new buildings for clinical equipment storage and HEMS preparation, training and debrief areas and facilities for night operations planning.

Last year the charity celebrated its 1,000th landing at Southampton General Hospital’s helipad.

Daily Echo: The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance landing at the helipad.

The helipad at Southampton General Hospital

The helipad opened in November 2011 and receives an average of one flight per day from 15 different organisations, with the air ambulance making up more than half the visits.

Mr Osborne said: “From enabling the air ambulance services to extend their flying hours to helping build brand new specialist headquarters, this funding will play a vital role on helping to save hundreds of lives every year.

“It is absolutely right that we use funds from those who demonstrated the worst values to reward those who demonstrate the best, like our hardworking air ambulance crews.”