AN emergency medical supplies service run by volunteer bikers has been launched.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has become the first hospital in the Teesside area to benefit from the emergency medical delivery service.

The voluntary service will ensure blood and other vital medical samples are transported free to hospitals and medical centres by voluntary motorcycle riders.

Volunteers for the service, which relies entirely on donations, will be on call from 7pm to 7am weekdays and 24 hours a day at weekends to make essential deliveries.

Jon Formstone, a police community support officer in Hartlepool, who set the service up with colleague Mark Say and motorcycle enthusiast Steve Basford, said: "I first came across the charity Whiteknights Emergency Voluntary Service, which runs a similar service in West Yorkshire.

"We got in touch with the charity after finding out that there was not anything like that in the North-East and spent the last 18months doing some serious fundraising to get the satellite branch for Teesside up and running."

Two Honda VFR motorcycles have been donated by local people and have been modified with blue flashing lights which the riders can use when a patient's life is at risk. The service will use eight volunteer riders, who have all passed their advanced motorcycle test.

Paul Urwin, from the pathology department at the trust, said: "This is an absolutely fantastic service which will benefit local people."

To volunteer or support the service, visit bloodrun.co.uk or email Mr Say at mark@bloodrun.co.uk