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Ambulance response times in London worsen when air temperatures rise or fall beyond certain limits in summer and winter, according to a new study. Current daily estimates at the London Ambulance Service (LAS) of vehicles likely to be required in the week ahead are based on statistics for the same days of the year over the last three years. However, the weather is rarely the same on a particular day, or week, from year to year. Researchers in the University's Ambulance Atmospheric Impact Research team (AAIR) produced the study, which is being presented today (24th) at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union , in Vienna. Lead author Dr Francis Pope , from the University of Birmingham's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences , said: "The weather impacts directly on day-to-day ambulance operations, whilst the climate contributes to the number of staff and vehicles required. "We recommend further research to allow ambulance planners to incorporate bespoke weather forecasts into planning systems, as there is evidence that heatwaves and coldwaves could increasingly cause increased demand and ambulance response time delays." Ambulance services operate 24 hours-a-day around most of the world. In England, more than nine million emergency calls were received in 2014/15.