WEST Midlands Ambulance Service has welcomed the sentencing of a woman who left a vile note on one of their ambulances.

The ambulance crew responded to a 999 call for a patient suffering from breathing difficulties at an address in the Tunstall area of Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday.

They returned to find a note, which used an expletive and said: "If this van is for anyone but number 14 then you have no right to be parked here.

"Now move your van from outside my house."

On Tuesday Kirsty Sharman, aged 26, from Tunstall, admitted a Section 5 Public Order offence when she appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.

She received a £120 fine and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £135.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We welcome the outcome of this unpleasant case.

"We are pleased to see magistrates felt that this was ‘an absolutely despicable incident’.

"We hope this case will serve as a warning to others that abusing our staff is not acceptable.

“Our staff will only block roads or park in front of drives if absolutely necessary in the interests of patient care. In this case, they were parked at the side of the road and were not blocking a driveway.

"We would like to thank the police for their support and swift action in this case, but also to the many thousands of people who have sent us messages of support for our staff and the incredible work that they do saving lives each day.”

A spokesman for the trust added previous notes were left on ambulances last year and they received "unimaginable support from the public".