- Ambulance Vandalism Across the UK
- Exclusive new report by Select Fleet Solutions
- Where it's happening and why it matters
- Punches thrown, doors dented, windows smashed
- Hundreds of cases recorded by NHS ambulance trusts
- Cost of repairs in the many thousands
Ambulances exist to save lives. Yet, across the UK, incidents of vandalism against these emergency vehicles remains a persistent threat - with many cases recorded each year.
New data from NHS ambulance trusts, analysed by the team at Select Fleet Solutions, has revealed vandalism frequency, the type of damage being reported, regional hot spots, and how much it’s costing the health service to keep vital emergency vehicles on the road.
Smashed windows, dented doors and punches thrown
Between 2019 and 2025, ambulance trusts across the UK recorded 344 separate vandalism incidents.
These attacks ranged from smashed windows and dented doors to offences including punching, kicking, and even objects being thrown at ambulances and paramedics.
Every one of these incidents risks taking a life-saving vehicle off the road while it’s repaired and causes needless trauma to emergency personnel.
Of the NHS ambulance trusts that responded to the Select Fleet Solutions FOI request, the bill for ambulance damage repairs reached more than £76,000 across the six-year period. Not all trusts disclosed repair fees, however, with some simply supplying incident numbers. The true repair cost total is likely much, much higher than seen here.
Regionally, the West Midlands has experienced more ambulance vandalism than any other area, with a total of 113 incidents, nearly twice as many as in London. Crews have reported smashed windows, vehicles being kicked or punched, and missiles hurled at moving ambulances.
It’s surprising that London doesn’t take the top spot. Between 2019 and 2025, London only recorded 65 incidents but also saw some of the highest repair costs in the UK, totalling £16,000.18.
Damage included broken blue lights and shattered windscreen. That said, data shows a year-on-year decline in vandalism in London, with 15 incidents recorded in 2020 and just five so far in 2025.
The South Central Trust reported 31 incidents, yet the repair bill for the vandalism cost an eye-watering £25,200, indicating severe damage.
With 29 incidents, the Welsh Ambulance Service faced repair costs of £19,689.99, almost as high as London’s, despite less than half the number of cases. Again, this indicates that there may have been extreme vandalism to their fleet.
In the East Midlands, 29 incidents were recorded, with total repair costs exceeding £6,997.94. However, not all damage was repaired, meaning some vehicles were either left with cosmetic damage or taken out of service, reducing availability in the region.
At the other end of the scale, the North East, South West, and Scotland saw fewer cases, but the incidents that did occur remain serious.
Both the North East and South Western trusts recorded 25 incidents each, while Scotland reported 16. Even with lower totals, the types of vandalism, from smashed windows and broken wing mirrors to threats against crew members, mirror those seen in the worst-hit regions.
What does 'ambulance vandalism' actually mean?
Ambulance vandalism isn’t limited to graffiti or minor damage; trusts reported vandalism as:
- Smashed windows and headlights
- Bricks, bottles, and blunt objects thrown at vehicles
- Attempts to rip off wing mirrors and emergency lights
- Kicking, punching, and denting vehicle bodywork
- Threats or assaults on crew members during callouts
When it comes to repairs, some damage is occasionally deemed not worth fixing, resulting in vehicles either being written off entirely or continuing in service with recorded damage, which can undermine overall fleet resilience.
For example, of the 29 vandalism reports recorded by the East Midlands Ambulance Service, seven vehicles were not repaired, the majority being double-crewed ambulances.
Damage included body dents from bricks or punches, side panel damage, fuel filler cap tampering, and broken wing mirrors.
Why ambulance vandalism matters - and hurts us all
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Fleet Solutions, said deliberate acts of mindless vandalism towards ambulances and paramedics shames the nation.
He added: “It’s very simple - the vandalism of emergency ambulances puts lives at risk and such mindless acts by selfish thugs have wide-reaching implications for us all.
“Repair costs can run to tens of thousands of pounds, putting needless pressure on NHS budgets. The collateral damage of ambulances being taken off the road can have an impact on patient care.
“And then there’s the physical and mental wellbeing of ambulance staff to consider.
“Our findings paint a disturbing picture that should shame the nation. Worryingly, it’s likely just the tip of the iceberg, as our figures merely reflect the Trusts that responded to our FOI requests.”
Is vandalism rising, or did it peak during the pandemic?
While the cumulative total is high, a year-by-year breakdown suggests ambulance vandalism peaked in 2021, as the UK emerged from COVID restrictions. Since then, incidents appear to be gradually declining.
For instance, London Ambulance Service recorded 13 vandalism cases post-COVID, but as noted, that number has since dropped to five in 2025, marking a 61% fall from its peak.
In the West Midlands, the pattern is more erratic; the trust recorded 28 post-COVID incidents, followed by just two reports in 2022, then a rise to 20 in 2023. Despite fluctuations, there’s still been a 60.7% drop between 2021 and 2024, though numbers remain comparatively high.
South Central Ambulance Service has seen a steady 67% decrease in incidents since 2019, from nine cases then to zero in 2025.
What are the penalties for vandalising an ambulance?
Anyone caught vandalising an ambulance risks being charged with criminal damage.
For ‘minor’ offences resulting in damage costing less than £5,000, cases are often heard in Magistrates' Court where the offenders risk a maximum of three months in jail.
In 2018, the UK government introduced a new law protecting emergency workers from assault, doubling the maximum jail time from 6 months to 12 months.
Encouragingly, the Welsh Ambulance Service has reported a 100% reduction from its 2020 peak of 12 incidents, with none recorded this year, a trend we hope continues.
That said, even in regions where numbers appear to fall, reporting can vary significantly.
Ambulance trusts differ in how they classify and record vandalism, which means the true scale of the problem may not be immediately clear.
Methodology
To find the UK's Ambulance vandalism hot spots around the UK we used Freedom of Information Request (FOI) data collected data between (2019-2025) from 14 different NHS Ambulance Service Trusts around the UK:
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust | London Ambulance Service NHS Trust | North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust | South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust | Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | Isle of Wight NHS Trust (Ambulance Services Division) | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Scottish Ambulance Service | Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust
Each of the 9 responding trusts that responded was asked to provide:
- The number of incidents where trust-operated ambulances were damaged by vandalism, for each calendar year: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
- The associated repair costs for these incidents for the same years.
- The types of damage caused.
Notes
The following trusts did not respond within the 20-day period or did not have data available:
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust | South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | Isle of Wight NHS Trust (Ambulance Services Division) | Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust
Some trusts could not provide year-by-year breakdowns, stating figures would be too low. This is reflected in our calculations. These include: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | Scottish Ambulance Service
Some trusts did not provide 2025 figures to date. Trusts that did provide 2025 data were included in calculations. These include: South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | Welsh Ambulance Service
Some trusts did not have cost data available, and this is reflected in our calculations. These include: North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust | South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust
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