Two ambulance workers have scooped an award for their efforts to help a teenager who lost a hand after it became trapped in a butcher's mincing machine.

Paramedic Pam Saveall and station officer David Brompton, who are based at Brighouse, are visiting the ambulance service in Canada to see how it operates after being presented with Trauma Case Intervention Awards.

Their prize was presented by BBC Look North broadcaster Mike McCarthy during a ceremony at the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (Wymas) headquarters in Birkenshaw.

During an incident in March, Pam and David treated the 17-year-old worker at the Kwik Save store in Towngate, Wyke, for more than an hour while firefighters battled to release him.

The pair arrived on the scene to deal with what they thought was a patient with a badly cut hand only to discover the injury was far more serious than first thought.

Throughout his ordeal the youngster remained cheerful and chatted with the emergency crews. He was eventually freed and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where his hand was amputated despite efforts by doctors to save it.

Pam, of Thornton, Bradford, who has been with the ambulance service for eight years, described the teenager as remarkably brave and at times very humorous, even though he was in intense pain.

David, of Brighouse, who has been in the service 24 years, said: "We are both looking forward to this trip of a lifetime and we are delighted to represent Wymas."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.