AMBULANCE staff fielded more than 10,000 emergency calls over the bank holiday weekend but the levels were down on the same period last year.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) dealt with 10,345 overall across the three days - including 3,372 in Essex.

Sunday was the busiest day of the three.

Deputy director of the EEAST Gary Morgan said: "Last year we experienced an unusually busy May Bank Holiday with a very high number of calls.

"Whilst this year was slightly different we experienced some particularly busy periods such as on Sunday.

"I would like to thank our staff and volunteers who as ever worked very hard over the weekend doing a fantastic job in ever-changing weather conditions.

"We would also like to thank our emergency service and healthcare colleagues supporting the community over the bank holiday period."