Paramedics and emergency care workers are striking today,

Every ambulance service in Somerset will be affected by the strike, which will affect non-life-threatening calls and involve paramedics, control room staff and support workers.

Outside ambulance stations across the county, you'll see picket lines except for Glastonbury, Frome, and Wincanton, where UNISON has asked its members at these stations to join picket lines at their closest picketing station.

GMB members are also due to strike again in the South West a week later, on Wednesday, December 28.

The South Western Ambulance Service are urging people to only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency during industrial action, which started last week with the nurses' strike, although that did not affect hospitals in Somerset. There will be a second day of action by nurses on Tuesday, the day before the ambulance strike which will involve the South Western Ambulance Service.

Will Warrender, chief executive at the South Western Ambulance Service, said: "Please help us to help those patients who need us most by only calling 999 if a patient has a life-threatening condition or illness.

"We know there are patients waiting for an ambulance, and we will get to you as soon as we can. We are sorry that we are unable to respond as quickly as we would like.

"We are doing all we can to manage winter pressures and the upcoming industrial action, including receiving military support during industrial action days which will allow our ambulance clinicians to crew more ambulances and reach patients more quickly.

"The public can help us by only calling 999 for life threatening emergencies, we absolutely must have crews available for the most life-threatening conditions and we will be prioritising these patients.

"Please do not call back asking for an estimated time of arrival of an ambulance. We cannot provide this information, which blocks our lines from other callers reaching us.

"If a patient's condition is not life-threatening we may direct you to alternative services. So please help us by accessing the right service for the care you need.

"I'd like to express my huge thanks to our people and NHS partners working to deliver the best possible care they can for our patients over the coming weeks."