SIR,

Two weeks ago I visited the ambulance station with local representatives. Last Monday the portable cabins arrived.

They will replace the soon-to-be-mothballed old station. They are new, modern and clean.

They also took approximately two-and-a-half years to arrive, rendering the conditions the paramedics encountered a disgrace.

What appeared like an old dilapidated building outside was far worse inside. For the past two years the boiler was bust, the furniture has been falling to pieces and alarmingly asbestos in the ceilings.

This is a mineral which is potentially hazardous. Those conditions developed through decades of structural neglect.

The conditions at the ambulance station were an insult to the important service within our community. We all know that public services bind communities together, they maintain order, and they safeguard our property and protect the health of our loves ones.

This was explicit in last week's letter section of the Beacon.

Two letters highlighted the fantastic service delivered by paramedics. Unfortunately, many success stories are never told.

Therefore it was a pleasure to read people openly commending the service. I look forward to making these positive and negative points to the Health Minister if/ when she visits Monmouth.

Mathew Davies

(Monmouth)