A party of doctors and nurses from a cash-strapped hospital used an ambulance as a taxi after a night out.
An investigation into the incident is being carried out after witnesses saw members of staff from the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire, climb into the ambulance after a drinking session on Sunday.
The incident came at a time when the hospital is expecting to make several cuts as part of measures to tackle a #30million deficit faced by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
The cuts have already provoked outrage from the public and campaigners will gather in Telford on March 11 to protest against the plans.
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Birmingham looks set for a close encounter of the third kind this year.
The city is to become the only UK venue outside London to host a major exhibition about alien life forms before it heads off on an international tour.
The Science of Aliens, which will arrive at Millennium Point's Thinktank at Easter, is billed as the "biggest and most in-depth exhibition to examine the possibility of life on other worlds".
Millennium Point refused to confirm the smash-hit show is destined for Birmingham while final negotiations take place.
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A Government inspector will visit a popular 350-year-old building in Solihull next week before making a decision on whether it should be demolished.
Campaigners have urged residents to greet the inspector with a demonstration outside Fowgay Hall, which is situated on the corner of Whitefields Road and Dingle Lane.
But it is thought that the inspector will not meet with the objectors as he is only in Solihull to survey the site.
The decision to demolish the building was taken out of Solihull Council's hands after developers Parkridge Homes successfully appealed to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for non-determination of a planning application.
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Liberal Democrat leadership contender John Hemming is locked in a row with party officials after they threatened to exclude him from a high-profile hustings event.
Mr Hemming, the MP for Yardley in Birmingham, has been told he cannot speak at a party conference this weekend.
The Liberal Democrats have offered every leadership candidate the chance to address members, at the event in London.
It follows the success of last year's Conservative Party conference, which took place as the Tories were in the process of choosing a new leader.
See Thursday's Birmingham Post for more on these stories
