Ambulance row over fire tragedy

An ambulance arrived at the house in Clarence Avenue, Bridlington, within five minutes of an emergency call made just before midnight on November 11, but it has now been claimed that back-up crews took another 40 minutes to arrive.

Maddie Hudson, three, Anthony Hudson, five, and nine-year-old William Beale were pronounced dead at hospital, and their mother Samantha Hudson, 27, remains in a critical but stable condition.

Her brother Peter Hudson said: "If another two ambulances had turned up quicker maybe they could have done more.

"The odds were stacked against them, having one ambulance with one paramedic to deal with four casualties.

"What happened would be easier for us to accept if we knew they had done everything they could, instead of asking questions about whether it could have made a difference.

"To have one ambulance between three kids and their mum is unreal. We really feel let down."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service sent four ambulances to the scene but would only confirm the time it took the first to arrive.

It is reviewing the incident and said in a statement: "We would like to reassure members of the public that on this occasion, and as with any incident, we dispatched the nearest available ambulance crews to the scene.

"Staff worked tirelessly to try and save the lives of the young children involved in this incident and we are all deeply saddened by the outcome."

Residents in Bridlington have raised 2,000 towards the cost of the children's funeral.