EAST Anglian Ambulance Service is trialling an eye-catching smart car in Cambridge to see if it speeds up response times to emergencies in city centre traffic.

A smart coupe, fitted with paramedic body panels and a siren, will be used to attend incidents during the critical first few minutes after a call. Because of its size, the service believes the smart will be ideal for coping with emergencies at shopping centres, in pedestrian areas or at airport terminals.

As well as a paramedic, the vehicle carries vital lifesaving equipment. A spokesman for the ambulance service said: 'We are always looking for new ways to reach patients as fast as possible in our congested towns and cities. It makes sense to test the coupe in Cambridge, where we can have some fairly serious traffic problems.'