Campaigners fighting to retain their region’s ambulance service have called on the HSE to engage in “meaningful” talks in a bid to ease concerns.

Ambulance campaigners who began a four-day protest march from West Cork yesterday have accused a Government TD of abandoning them in their hour of need.

A Government TD has accused campaigners marching today against proposed changes to the West Cork ambulance service of “reckless scaremongering”.

The HSE moved last night to ease fears in West Cork about proposed sweeping changes to the ambulance service.

The HSE has rejected claims that one of Cork’s busiest 999 ambulance bases has no emergency ambulance cover because of staff sick leave.