The government is being warned that communities are facing dangerous delays in ambulance response times.

Just one in four ambulances is meeting turnaround targets, leaving thousands of patients waiting to be transferred to hospitals.

Paramedics are being delayed getting to emergencies because they are being forced to wait to hand over patients at emergency departments.

Councillors want to enlist the support of GPs working in a part of Co Cork in an effort to force the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to provide better emergency cover for the local population.

Fifty new ambulances are to be purchased and another 35 refurbished as part of a multimillion euro investment announced by the Department of Health.

Sixty-four new ambulances are being provided this year as part of a €9.4m investment under the fleet replacement programme.

Fire officers could act as first responders in cases where an ambulance is not immediately available.