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An ambulance was vandalised in the early hours of the morning as crews treated a patient in Hartlepool.

The emergency vehicle is expected to be off the road for three weeks after it was smashed while parked outside a house where crews cared for a patient.

Damage included a smashed driver’s side window, broken back window pane and a part of the dashboard ripped out.

Electronics from the vehicle – including a radio, a data terminal and a tablet computer – were ripped from their mountings in the vehicle’s cab and left strewn across the road and pavement nearby.

Vandals smashed an ambulance in the Hartlepool area early on Wednesday (May 31)./Photo: North East Ambulance Service

No-one was hurt in the attack and nothing appeared to be stolen, but the crew were unable to drive the ambulance after the vandals fled the scene.

The patient did not need to go to hospital in this case.

Repairs will cost an estimated £2,100.

Shane Woodhouse, head of operations, said: “Vandalising an emergency ambulance is wholly unacceptable and the damage caused might have had more immediate and serious consequences if our crew had needed to take the patient to hospital.

“Thankfully the patient did not need to be taken to hospital, but their life may have been put at risk because of this mindless attack. Had the patient been in a life-threatening condition, this could have had a very tragic ending.

“The ambulance was clearly parked outside a patient’s house while the crew were inside treating a caller who had rung 999 for help.

“As a result of this incident, the crew were unavailable to respond to any further patients for the rest of their shift, and the vehicle is now off the road for several weeks while we aim to repair the extensive damage.

“We’ve still to add up the cost of replacing the equipment and repairing the vehicle, but it is likely to be in the thousands of pounds.

"But this is secondary to the potential harm that could have been caused if the patient had needed to go to hospital quickly.”

The incident happened at around 3am on May 31.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 quoting 104486.

Independent charity, Crimestoppers, can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

North East Ambulance Service condemns vandals who smashed up vehicle while crew treated patient in Hartlepool