Two wheels have proven to be better than four for a paramedic who is using a motorbike to beat the traffic and respond more quickly to emergency calls.

Steve Cooper, from Walsall, has joined West Midlands Ambulance Service’s motorcycle paramedic unit – boosting the number of bikers to three.

Known to his colleagues as Harry Potter, for apparently resembling the young wizard, the 30-year-old has been responding to 999 calls in Birmingham city centre.

He says riding his specially-equipped Yamaha motorbike also allows him to get into hard to reach places, such as shopping centres and onto platforms at train stations.

Mr Cooper, of Green Lane, Shelfield, said: “Responding to 999 calls on two wheels is completely different to being on an ambulance or in a car. “You can ride around pedestrian areas so we have better access. It’s easier to get through traffic congestion.”

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