Fireworks thrown at ambulance in 'appalling' attack in Bristol

• Watch the fireworks explode on the bonnet of the ambulance

Two fireworks were thrown at an ambulance in east Bristol, prompting a police appeal for witnesses.

The incident happened on Birchwood Road in Broomhill on Sunday 6 November at around 5.40pm.

It is believed the fireworks were thrown by a group wearing hoods and balaclavas who surrounded the vehicle after the attack.

The three paramedics inside the stationary ambulance said they heard an explosion nearby, before a firework then hit the driver's side window and bounced off the bonnet.

Two cars then pulled up alongside the ambulance and around 20 people in hoods and balaclavas surrounded the vehicle, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) has said.

The trust's violence prevention and reduction lead Mike Jones said it was down to luck that the fireworks did not hit the oxygen tanks in the vehicle, which would have been "catastrophic".

“It’s appalling that a small group of individuals would risk the lives of three colleagues who have dedicated their own lives to saving other people," he said.

“We are incredibly lucky that one of the fireworks did not cause the oxygen tanks in the ambulance to explode, which would have been catastrophic.

“Unacceptable behaviour towards our people will not be tolerated and we will take whatever action is necessary to protect them from harm.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Avon and Somerset Police on 101, quoting log 763 of Sunday 6 November.