19 Dec, 2024 @ 14:00
1 min read

Gibraltar to run free night buses over Christmas: Ambulance joy ride is the latest drink-driving incident to blight the Rock during festive period

A MAN stole an ambulance in Gibraltar while high on cannabis and crashed it into a building.

The 24-year-old took the vehicle from the Accident and Emergency Department before embarking on a joyride through Upper Town.

The police reported that the suspect had already tried โ€“ and failed โ€“ to steal another ambulance at Saint Bernardโ€™s Hospital.

They received reports of a Gibraltar Health Authority ambulance โ€˜driving erratically before colliding with MacFarlane Houseโ€™, inflicting minor damage on the vehicle. 

READ MORE: The UKโ€™s National Crime Agency โ€˜is brought in to investigate allegations around Gibraltar police chiefโ€™

The bus time table over the festive period

The man was arrested at 9.15pm, where a roadside drugs test revealed he was high on cannabis.

He was then further arrested at New Mole House Police Station for driving without a licence or insurance.

It is just the latest incident of drink or drug-driving in Gibraltar over the festive period and the tenth arrest.

One motorist even managed to plough into 12 parked vehicles at once.

READ MORE: โ€˜The environment has no bordersโ€™: Spanish activist group insists it is not โ€˜anti-Gibraltarโ€™ in Eastside marina complaintsย 

The roadside carnage has prompted the government to put on a free night service to incentivise people not to use their cars over Christmas.

Transport Minister John Cortes announced that the weekend night bus will run across the Christmas period every night from Friday, December 20 to Sunday January 5 with โ€˜passengers not paying for its usage during this time.โ€™

The Ministry of Transport said it would โ€˜like to remind people the dangers of drink driving to both them

and others.โ€™ 

READ MORE: EUโ€™s Entry/Exit System will be โ€˜progressivelyโ€™ introduced at Gibraltarโ€™s border with Spain โ€“ hereโ€™s what you need to know

Cortes added: โ€œWe have a bus service to be proud of, and we need to be able to rely on it when we need it.ย 

โ€œChristmas is a time when many people move around Gibraltar more than they usually would after hours as they celebrate the festive season. 

โ€œThe least that we could do is provide this additional service, free of charge, which will make the celebrations more environmentally friendly and safer for all.โ€

Click here to read more Gibraltar News from The Olive Press.

Walter Finch

Walter Finch

Walter Finch, is the Digital Editor of the Olive Press and occasional roaming photographer who started out at the Daily Mail.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his NCTJ diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk due to previous experience as a camera operator and filmmaker.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.

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