Ambulance crews at the cutting edge of saving lives have been issued with new Casualty-style uniforms.

Paramedics and technicians at Essex Ambulance Service have swapped their blue trousers and white shirts for the new look.

From Tuesday frontline crews will wear green trousers, open-necked shirts and pullovers like the fictional paramedics in BBC1's hit drama.

And on Thursday staff at the Colchester ambulance station in Lexden Road showed off the new gear.

A spokeswoman for Essex Ambulance Service said: "When we were thinking about a new uniform we put it to the vote and the majority of the staff wanted to go into green.

"It distinguishes frontline crews from police officers and is consistent with the image of ambulance crews portrayed by the media."

Ambulance officers will continue to wear blue and white uniforms.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.