The region’s life-saving Air Ambulance service has warned it needs to raise an extra £130,000 to keep airborne in the face of rapidly rising fuel prices.

The charity currently spends £5.6 million a year to fuel a fleet of three helicopters which are deployed to emergency cases throughout the Midlands and the Welsh border area.

However, the spiralling cost of oil - and the end of a preferential fuel rate from its supplier in the autumn - means the service needs thousands of pounds extra to cover operational demands.

Steve Parry, Spokesperson for County Air Ambulance said: “Just like everyone else, the charity has been hit hard by the sudden increase in fuel costs.

“The hourly fuel bill is currently £104. From October, when our fixed price deal ends, the fuel cost is expected to reach over £170 an hour. It is likely we will see our fuel bill increase by as much as 60 per cent by the end of the year.”

Air ambulance helicopters burn 245 litres of jet fuel every sixty minutes. The fleet, which was created 17 years ago, flies more than 2,000 hours every year and attends 3,500 incidents across the region.

It relies solely on public donations and corporate sponsorship.

Mr Parry added: “We anticipated an increase in our operational budget at the beginning of the year and adjusted our fundraising target accordingly.

“However, there is no doubt that rising fuel costs of this magnitude will place additional financial pressure on the charity at a time when we are committed to making improvements to our service.”