A review is being carried out of the amount of equipment being carried on ambulances after it emerged some vehicles were close to going over the legal weight.

South East Coast Ambulance Service discovered 18 out of its 300 vehicles were potentially close to the weight limit when fully kitted up and with a crew and patient on board.

The issue was discovered during the trust's fleet maintenance and testing process.

The trust is reviewing its standard load list for the ambulances as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of patients and staff.

It is also taking immediate action to reduce the total weight.

In a statement the trust said: "This will ensure that we can continue to use these vehicles safely until they are replaced, as part of the next phase of our ambulance replacement programme.

"It is important to state that there have been no reported accidents or incidents related to this issue and the actions being taken will have no clinical impact on our patients."