A SECOND helicopter has been ordered by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) so it can provide lifesaving services 24 hours a day.

But the charity, headquartered in Wellington, has still to raise funds to pay for the aircraft.

Currently, its yellow ‘Pegasus’ AgustaWestland AW169 twin-engine, 10-seat helicopter, which was the first to enter air ambulance operational service in the UK, can fly only for 19 hours a day.

Daily maintenance is carried out between 2 am and 7 am, and the aircraft is also grounded for a few weeks each year while annual maintenance takes place.

Now, the DSAA has put down a deposit with Yeovil-based helicopter manufacturer Leonardo for a second aircraft, which is expected to be ready for delivery in about two years once it has been fully kitted out.

However, chief executive Charles Hackett said the charity still had to find a ‘few million pounds’ to meet the cost of the £8million helicopter.

Mr Hackett said last year the charity’s helicopter, which is now more than seven years old, flew nearly 3,000 missions.

He said: “Because of the amount we are flying it, we have to check the aircraft every day.

“There is a lot of unplanned issues that have the biggest impact on our flying.

“The more miles you do, the more likely these issues occur.

“With a second aircraft we could be out within half-an-hour if we got a call and our first one was being repaired.”

Mr Hackett said the work of the air ambulance had changed over the years from a flying ambulance to a mobile intensive care unit.

He said: “The level of intensive care, you can usually only get inside a hospital.

“We bring that to the field, to the roadside, to the workplace, to wherever the incident occurs.

“Every day I know we went out and made a difference to somebody who did not know they needed us.

“We save lives and nothing feels as good as that.”

Nearly all of the air ambulance costs are met by people fund-raising for it, as it does not receive any Government funding.