Storm Emma batters Britain: Paramedics attacked while families are told to evacuate

A 49-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a paramedic over the parking of an ambulance.

While responding to an emergency call in Sparkhill, Birmingham, Tasha Starkey watched on as her un-named crewmate was threatened for parking the ambulance to close to the man's car. The car was not blocked by the ambulance, it was just parallel, Starkey said.

Starkey revealed the ordeal on her Twitter page: "Well! We haven't had a good morning. Unfortunately myself and my crewmate were threatened, verbally abused... My crewmate was assaulted. The reason you may ask? Because we had parked parallel to their car (NOT blocking the road. Thank you EOC and Birmingham East and North Police.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service shared the tweet and said it only made their job harder. "Our staff are doing everything possible to get into work in treacherous conditions so they can treat patients in their hour of need - it makes hearing stories like this even more frustrating than normal."

The man, despite being arrested, was let off with a caution. Starkey said the decision had left her "extremely upset, disappointed and let down by the outcome."

Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that the dangers of the storm are not yet over. Drivers are being warned to stay off the roads as the snow turns to black ice and turns highways into "death traps".

Winds up to 50mph are expected in the west and Devon and Cornwall could experience flooding. Some families in Devon have even been told to evacuate or at least board up their homes.

About 200 people were stranded on the M62 after the blizzard worsened on Friday (2 March) night. Residents were thankfully there to help and provided the trapped drivers with warm drinks, food and blankets.

Transport has been one of the biggest casualties of the storm, with airports and trains closing down across the country. Commuters travelling through London Waterloo were left stranded after the station shut down at 8:30pm because of frozen tracks.