A WILTSHIRE MP is to launch a scathing attack on the county's ambulance trust chiefs in a bid to secure the future of the air ambulance.

Robert Key, the MP for Salisbury, will raise the issue of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance in a Westminster Hall backbench debate today, despite claims by officials that the service is safe.

He said: "This is a very bad situation for Wiltshire and I'm drawing it to the attention of the Home Office, as well as the Health Minister, because if we lose the helicopter we will set back the National Health Service cover for Wiltshire and the policing of Wiltshire by a decade."

The joint air police and ambulance service currently relies on funding from the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Trust, which raises about £400,000 a year.

Plans to terminate the air ambulance service have been held off after public outrage forced the Great Western Ambulance Trust to rethink.

However, speculation has mounted that this is just a smokescreen to reassure the public as Wiltshire Police have not agreed to this.

James Gray, the MP for North Wiltshire, said if the air ambulance was to go then the police would struggle to find funding for their own police helicopter.

Mr Key said: "Wiltshire has a wonderful 24-hour, seven-day a week police and ambulance helicopter and if a new contract is not negotiated with the Great Western Ambulance Service we will lose the police helicopter as well as the ambulance."

"The Great Western Ambulance Trust is holding a gun to the head of the police authority and at the same time boasting about their funded part-time new ambulance service, which has no guarantee of continuity, will not cover Wiltshire and cannot fly in the dark."

A Great Western Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charity is negotiating the length of extension of the lease with the police and continues to speak with them. Wiltshire Air Ambulance isn't under threat."

Mr Gray says he is fully behind Mr Key's debate, but remains sceptical that it will achieve anything substantial.

With only half an hour set aside for the debate, it will most likely only leave time for Mr Key to set out his point and for the Junior Home Office minister to respond.

He believes letters and debates are a positive way to help raise awareness.

Mr Gray confirmed he would be attending the debate to show his support, along with fellow MPs Michael Ancram, for Devizes, Michael Wills, for North Swindon and Andrew Murrison, for Westbury.

South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove can't attend the debate but supports the air ambulance.

"We're all actually involved in fairly active lobbying," said Mr Gray.

"I have written to the ambulance trust and they say that there is not a threat to the service, but they are not confirming the five-year deal with the police at the moment."

He fears the Great Western Ambulance Service's agreement to review the service throughout the next year will give them the opportunity to abolish it.

Without the Great Western Air Ambulance he claims there will only be one air ambulance service to cover Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.