Thieves raided vital equipment from an ambulance while paramedics tried to assist a dying Bradford man.

The raiders snatched the ambulance's radio - leaving them without contact with their headquarters - as the paramedics sought to assist 67-year-old Kenneth Hughes.

Mr Hughes, of Woodend Crescent, Windhill, died the following day after a two-year battle with emphysema, congestion of the lungs.

His wife Eileen, 61, said: "Some despicable person ripped the radio and wires from the ambulance. They are not people, they are thugs."

Mr Hughes was taken ill at home but when the ambulance arrived the two women paramedics were unable to carry him from the third floor flat and radioed for assistance.

It was while they treated Mr Hughes inside his home that the equipment was taken.

"We did not realise what had happened until the other ambulance had left," said Mrs Hughes. "My husband was very poorly and became very agitated and upset. The staff kept the situation under control and got us to hospital without any problems."

A WYMAS spokesman said: "It's a pretty thoughtless action to do something like this. The radio in an ambulance is vital and it could mean the difference between life and death for patients.

"I don't think this kind of thing happens a lot but we would just ask people to respect the emergency service's property.

"We take a pretty dim view of this kind of behaviour."

Mr Hughes died in Bradford Royal Infirmary the following day after his condition deteriorated.

"The staff did everything they could and, although Kenneth did not die because the radio was taken, I want these people to know what anguish they caused," Mrs Hughes added.

A hospital spokesman said: "It's a sad reflection on society that people resort to taking potentially life saving equipment from an ambulance while its staff are caring for people. Thankfully in this particular case they were able to take the patient to hospital quickly.

"The hospital is always grateful whenever people take the trouble of thanking staff for the work that they do in the care and treatment of hundreds of thousands of Bradford people each year."

And a police spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident which has been reported to us and we are making enquiries. Obviously we would not condone thefts from any vehicles but especially not from emergency services attending calls which could make the difference between life or death."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.