A CHRISTMAS tree featuring messages of support for a union campaign to defend safety at Yorkshire Ambulance Service has been unveiled in Bradford.

Representatives of Unite placed a six-foot cardboard Christmas tree in The Green yesterday.

Unite members want MPs to call for an investigation into claims made by the whistleblowers facing disciplinary action.

The whistleblowers claim Emergency Care Assistants (ECA), who receive only a fraction of a paramedic’s training, are being dispatched to possible emergencies, putting patients’ lives at risk.

The Bradford event was one of three trees placed in Yorkshire featuring a total of 1,500 messages of support for the campaign.

Unite member Dave Trubshaw, who organised the event, said: “The people of Bradford have been very supportive of us.

“A lot of people were not aware of the situation. They were really concerned. The whistleblowers should not be gagged, they should be able to express their opinions.”