SOUTHAMPTON volunteers may face a bill of £150,000 after an ambulance they used to provide life-saving first aid has been set alight.

A St John Ambulance vehicle has been vandalised and its medical equipment has been severely damaged after the treatment area was set on fire.

Police are linking the incident to the spate of arsons reported across Southampton in less than a month.

Ambulance volunteers said to be devastated and are now unable to use the vehicle.

The ambulance was parked outside St John Ambulance’s premises in Dean Road, Bitterne when it was set alight.

A spokesperson for Hampshire police said the incident happened between 6pm on August 21 and 6pm on August 22.

Volunteers said the ambulance was donated to the charity by The Edwina Mountbatten Trust a few years ago, and if it is written off by insurers may cost more than £150,000 to replace.

Dan Bevis, London and South regional operations manager for St John Ambulance, said: “This is utterly mindless vandalism which has really upset our volunteers, who use this vehicle week in, week out in the local community. The vehicle plays a key role in the first aid provision at events, and we’re now facing the possibility that the treatment centre may have to be replaced altogether, which is likely to be very costly. We need active, fully operational vehicles for our volunteers, to enable them to keep our communities safe.”

The vehicle is currently off the road with volunteers having to source a mobile treatment centre from another area to ensure they can continue to cover planned first aid duties, including the Romsey Show on September 8.

The ambulance was used to provide first aid at major events across the county such as Romsey and Alresford Shows, Remembrance Parade in Southampton, and Walk the Test Way.

Hampshire police have listed the incident among the thirteen arsons reported across the city since the start of August.

As previously reported, officers said several of the arsons in Bitterne, Peartree and Woolston, have resulted in significant loss of property.

Police have also urged residents who own a caravan or a motorhome not to sleep in it. Anyone with information about the incident in Dean Road is urged to call 101 quoting 44180318655.

St John Ambulance volunteers have also launched a fundraising campaign. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ambulancearson.