THE Great North Air Ambulance has been forced to ground its service for the next few days.

Two if its helicopters have suffered mechanical problems, while the lease on the third, based at Durham Tees Valley Airport, runs out at midnight on Wednesday.

During routine maintenance a problem was found with the helicopter that operates out of Carlisle, which means it has to be withdrawn from service until it can be repaired, while the other, operating out of Otterburn in Northumberland, was due to return to service after prolonged maintenance this week, but will not now be back until the weekend.

The service, which relies on public donations, is planning to buy its own helicopters as the contracts on its current craft expire. Chief executive of GNAAS Grahame Pickering said: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, over the next few days the regions will not have air ambulance provision provided by the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

"This is not an ideal situation, but thankfully is only for the short-term. We will be back to flying two aircraft in the near future. "Helicopters, like all machinery, are subject to technical faults that we can not foresee, and stringent tests are put in place to make sure the helicopters are extremely safe. "We are committed to providing the best possible care for the people of the North, and are looking forward to introducing a better service with bigger and faster helicopters in the near future. GNAAS will still be on duty over the next few days as our Rapid Response Vehicle will be on call if it is required."