AMBULANCE bosses in the region have gone to the aid of their colleagues in Yorkshire after severe winter weather conditions caused chaos further south.

A combination of black ice and freezing fog led to scores of road accidents in West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire as well as a surge in the number of people going to hospital accident and emergency departments after falling on icy pavements.

With the Yorkshire Ambulance Service responding to what it called "an unprecedented number of 999 calls" on Friday morning, colleagues in the North East Ambulance Service offered assistance.

As the YAS appealed for members of the public not to ring 999 unless it was "obvious that someone has a life-threatening illness or injury" the NEAS agreed to lend two fully-equipped A&E ambulances to their colleagues in Yorkshire.

The NEAS also agreed to send 999 vehicles to calls inside North Yorkshire.

A spokeswoman for the NEAS said: "Basically they are experiencing what we experienced at the beginning of this week. Because of the freezing conditions we saw a massive increase in 999 calls. On just one day, Wednesday, we took 1,300 999 calls, that is nearly twice the number we normally get on an average day."

"As part of the normal mutual aid we provide to each other we have lent them two of our 999 vehicles and we are also helping to answer 999 calls in North Yorkshire."

Dr Alison Walker, executive medical director at the Trust, said: "The service has received hundreds of 999 calls for weather-related incidents and we are treating a lot of patients involved in road traffic collisions and injured in slips, trips and falls. These calls are in addition to other medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes."

On Friday the YAS activated its Major Incident Plan which allows Patient Transport Service ambulances to be used to assist 999 emergency ambulances.

According to the Sheffield Star more than 70 people were taken to the city,s Northern General Hospital before 11.30am with injuries caused by slipping on ice.

More than 40 road accidents were reported before noon yesterday in South Yorkshire, resulting in the closure of the M1 Southbound near junction 41 and the A1 Southbound near junction 45.