Campaigners for a 24-hour ambulance station in Whitland were celebrating this week as it emerged that the station will be upgraded to a round the clock operation from August 4.

Responding to the news, campaign co-ordinator, Llwyr Hughes Griffiths, who is also the Plaid Cymru Prospective Assembly Candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: "This is wonderful news, not just for Whitland, but for the whole of West Wales. Whitland's strategic location will allow it to provide cover for a very wide area, including Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and south Ceredigion.

"The lack of 24-hour cover in Whitland was having an adverse effect on ambulance stations in Pembrokeshire who were being forced to provide cover at the expense of their own area. Our fear was that this domino effect was undermining the service and putting lives at risk.

"We must thank everyone for their whole-hearted support, including the 70 or so town and community councils in West Wales who backed our campaign. This victory clearly shows that we can improve essential services in West Wales if we are willing to work hard enough for it."

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, Cynog Dafis, added: "I must pay tribute to Llyr and his team who campaigned tirelessly on this issue for many months. Ensuring urgent access to treatment is an all important aspect of healthcare, and fundamental to this is the provision of locally available ambulances."

Christine Gwyther AM also welcomed agreement between the All Wales Ambulance Trust and Dyfed Powys Health Authority in the move towards providing 24-hour cover.

Speaking from her Carmarthen office, she said: "I am delighted that the extra £1m. provided to the Wales Ambulance Service by the Labour led Welsh Assembly government, coupled with the writing off of Dyfed Powys Health Authority's £2.8m. debts, as announced by the Health Minister Jane Hutt earlier this year, will enable the plans for providing 24-hour cover at Whitland Ambulance Station to be implemented.

"I have been actively pressing for 24-hour cover at Whitland for many months in recognition of its strategic location, and this development represents another important stage in improving health care for the people of West Wales."

The lack of full night-time cover at Whitland left a gaping hole in the emergency ambulance cover for the whole of West Wales. Recent incidents had forced ambulances from other stations such as Tenby to respond to Whitland calls. In the meantime, calls coming into Tenby had been covered by Pembroke Dock, and so on.

There were also serious concerns about the pressure being put on the ambulance workers at Whitland who sometimes had to work up to 14 hours a day.