Paramedics have fallen asleep at the wheel of emergency response vehicles, according to a trade union video.

Ambulance staff talk about falling asleep while driving, worrying about making drug errors and they fear they will be involved in a road accident due to stress and exhaustion relating to long hours.

A survey by UNISON showed  847 of the 1541 staff members surveyed had considered leaving the East of England Ambulance Service because of late finishes.

UNISON says frontline staff routinely work 12 hour shifts, with only a 30 minute meal break and they say staff can end up working 15 hour shifts.

One paramedic told the film: “You are frightened of making a clinical error, you are frightened of not giving your best to the patient, you are frightened of falling asleep behind the wheel, which some of my colleague have done.”

Another said: “It does worry me greatly that either I myself or somebody will be killed.

“We lose people earlier than we should in this job because of the stress on our bodies, but to lose someone who has done a good job one night or one day because we keep pushing and pushing and it is wrong.

“I don’t like to say but is it a matter of time before we lose someone?”

The union points towards which state that staff are required to answer calls right up until the last second of their shift, regardless of where they are in the region.

They say crews cover hundreds of miles, and can be far from their base station at the end of their shift.

Another paramedic criticised the leadership of the ambulance trust, saying "they can't see through the overwheming wall of corporate pressure" and said the "board are out of touch".

UNISON Branch Secretary Fraer Stevenson said: “We interviewed frontline staff across the east of England and the experiences they shared were very upsetting.

“Many felt constantly exhausted from the relentless pressure over late finishes. Some broke down in tears and spoke about leaving the profession. Many had 15 - 20 years experience working on the frontline.

“Working for 12 hours is very demanding physically and often emotionally. It is only right that at the end of their shift staff can go home to rest.

The trade union has called on the ambulance trust to implement measures to reduce late finishes.

These include a fatigue clause which allows frontline staff to identify when they need to be returned to their base station, without fear of reprisals or disciplinary action.

The union also wants a reduction in the calls crews can be sent to in the last 30 minutes of their shift - to only include the immediately life threatening calls - Red 1 calls.