Great North Air Ambulance temporarily grounded

The lease on the third aircraft, which operates from Durham Tees Valley, ran out at midnight last night and is not being renewed.

All three aircraft cover the region from coast to coast and North Yorkshire to the Borders.

Fears have been raised more remote parts of Northumberland and Durham could be left vulnerable without the service, but the GNAA has said the situation was unavoidable and has promised to have at least one aircraft reinstated by Monday.

Last night a spokesperson explained: "We were aware the lease of our Teesside helicopter was due to expire, but we had not expected our other aircraft to be out of action.

"Our Northumberland helicopter is an older model, which is more difficult to source parts for. We have found the component we need in Japan and are waiting for it to be shipped across and fitted. Our Cumbria aircraft has a cracked gear, which has to be replaced. The high standard of service the helicopters receive means any slight defect must be corrected. We expect to have this aircraft back in service within days.

"It is just unfortunate these technical problems have occurred while we are between leases on one of our vehicles. Our pilots, medical staff and crew all want to be on standby in case they are needed, but the situation is beyond our control.

"It is important to remember we are not a statutory organisation. We do not get government funding. We rely entirely on fundraising and the generosity of families in the North East to pay for everything, including our fuel and medicine.

"Without the support of the public we would not be able to provide this lifesaving service."

The GNAA has running costs of more than £300,000 a month. Each call-out is estimated to cost £2,500.

But yesterday Air Ambulance bosses rubbished any suggestion that the charity was in financial difficulty as "nonsense".