A new £400,000 ambulance station was officially opened yesterday in Glasgow by MSP Nicola Sturgeon.

The new medical facility at Laverockhall Street, in the Springburn area, which replaces the old ambulance station in Maitland Street, will provide upgraded facilities for around 100 operational staff.

Nine emergency ambulances, two motorbikes and one paramedic response vehicle will operate from the station, as well as nine non- emergency patient transport vehicles and a vehicle specially designed for bariatric patients, who need treatment for obesity.

The Glasgow Special Operations Response Team (SORT) is also based at Springburn.

SORT teams are trained to respond to major incidents that could involve the decontamination of patients exposed to chemical, biological or nuclear agents.

Emergency crews at Springburn are among the busiest in Scotland, responding to 65 incidents every day.

Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, said: "The new facility is a significant enhancement for ambulance care in the city."