IT SEEMS incredible that people in desperate need of ambulances can still face waits of nearly an hour in the heart of Ipswich.Ricardo Wells is today a very fortunate man after he almost bled to death while waiting for an ambulance after suffering serious injuries and a massive blood loss.

IT SEEMS incredible that people in desperate need of ambulances can still face waits of nearly an hour in the heart of Ipswich.

Ricardo Wells is today a very fortunate man after he almost bled to death while waiting for an ambulance after suffering serious injuries and a massive blood loss.

It is the duty of the ambulance service to attend emergencies as quickly as possible and clearly in this case something went seriously long.

The only reason Mr Wells is not another grim statistic is because the police eventually decided that the only way to save him was to rush him to Heath Road in one of their cars.

Ironically news of this latest worrying incident emerged on the same day that the mother of David Halley-Frame said she still had not got satisfactory answers about the death of her son more than 18 months ago.

He died after an ambulance took more than half an hour to reach him when he suffered an asthma attack.

Terri Calvesbert had to be taken to hospital by the police after she suffered dreadful burns injuries because there was no ambulance available in 1998.

And it was a 40-minute delay to an ambulance call to heart attack victim Brian Woolnough back in October 1996 that prompted The Evening Star to launch our Ambulancewatch campaign - which led to a major inquiry at the East Anglian Ambulance Trust and major changes in personnel and working practices.

It seems that more than 10 years on things may be better - but they still are not perfect.

Fortunately Mr Wells has not become a grim statistic, but the ambulance service needs to look hard at what went wrong on this occasion . . . and ensure such problems never happen again.

CAPTAIN Robin Sheepshanks was one of those people who contributed a great deal to life in Suffolk.

As a county councillor - and chairman of the council - he had a tremendous influence on the way the area developed during the 1980s.

His role as chairman of the Suffolk Police Committee was also vital at a time when policing nationally attracted a great deal of political comment.

Working with chief constables who knew the county well, he helped ensure the Suffolk force policed by consent and that the tensions seen in some other parts of the country never manifested themselves here.

And his wise counsel was always welcomed by officials in county hall or the police headquarters. His death robs Suffolk of a wise head and our sympathies are extended to his family.

ENERGY company EDF needs to take a long hard look at its network in the Felixstowe area after yet another power cut hit hundreds of homes and businesses on the peninsula.

In the 21st century a reliable electricity supply is not a luxury, it is a necessity whether you run a multi-million pound business or just need power for a one-bedroomed flat.

Over the last few weeks there have been far too many unexplained power cuts in the area and EDF needs to examine its network to find out why this area seems to have developed a weak link.