LIVES could be saved after helicopter landing sites were identified in the region's most heavily industrialised areas.

Industry chiefs on Teesside have joined forces with ambulance and emergency staff to identify six industrial locations for air ambulance landings for serious medical emergencies requiring immediate specialist attention.

The locations - at Wilton, Billingham, North Tees, Seal Sands, Yarm and Greatham - mean time can be saved getting seriously injured people to hospitals throughout the region and beyond.

Some of the sites have two or more landing areas.

Barry Scollay, Sembcorp UK emergency planning officer, who has been working on the project for 18 months alongside Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) Teesside chief pilot Chris Attrill, said: "Thankfully, events requiring helicopter lifts from the main industrial sites on Teesside are extremely rare.

"However, knowing that we have these locations considerably enhances site safety and the ability of companies and the emergency services to respond effectively to injury accidents at the main manufacturing locations."

Sembcorp instigated the project specifically for the Wilton International site, but after talking to GNAAS, the North East Ambulance Service, Cleveland Police and industry chiefs at other sites, other locations were identified as interest grew.

The landing sites have only recently gone live and some have already been tested as part of emergency exercises. The intention is to test them all in a series of major exercises over the next few years.

Matthew Ward, operations director of GNAAS, said: "Minutes can be vital in saving lives and these sites help us to dramatically cut the amount of time it would take to get a seriously injured person to one of the region's specialist hospitals."