Dude, an Irishman drove off in my ambulance

“GAJO onde está minha ambulancia.”

On the increasingly wild Portuguese Algarve, where rioting is taking place nightly, the theft of the ambulance ranks as one of the more bizarre episodes.

When police tracked down the missing vehicle, they found an Irishman at the wheel. He had, police said diplomatically, a very high alcohol reading. The incident took place at 3.30am yesterday in the resort of Portimao. The ambulance crew, on a late-night call, eft their vehicle and entered a building.