Prince praises Cumbria's emergency workers for gun massacre response

Prince Charles thanked a host of 999 workers including firemen, police and other medical staff while visiting the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

The hospital dealt with 10 of the gunshot casualties, while all of Derrick Bird's 12 murder victims were taken to the hospital's mortuary.

While there, Charles also met one victim still a patient in the hospital and held a private meeting at the Civic Hall in Whitehaven with some of the 12 families who had lost loved ones.

The Prince also met Donna O'Donnell, from Broughton, Lancashire, who took the second 999 call in the call centre, alerting the emergency services the rampage was under way.

"It was a member of the public who said: 'I have got a man here and he's been shot," Ms O'Donnell said.

She gave the caller treatment advice for the patient while an ambulance was dispatched.

Meanwhile staff were watching a screen, which plotted more and more emergency calls coming in on a map.

"To see something on this scale and watch it mushroom is unreal.

"After we had three or four calls every one of us in the call centre said, 'What's happening? Where is this going?"

Ms O'Donnell said she was pleased Charles had visited personally to thank the staff involved.

"For somebody to acknowledge the whole team is nice. He looked me in the eye and said, 'Thank you."'

Prince Charles then met Rhona Radcliffe, a paramedic who rushed in her ambulance to the aid of one victim.

She said: "Unfortunately there was not much we could do for that person we were called to.