The stress faced by frontline ambulance staff in the East of England Ambulance Service is set out in a hard hitting film released by UNISON.

The six minute film is being released as staff are about to be balloted on industrial action over a lack of rest breaks and enforced overtime that can result in 12 hour shifts over-running by up to six hours.

Shifts are meant to last no more than 12 hours but according to UNISON regularly overrun, resulting in staff working 13 to 18-hour days or nights.

UNISON claims that 2,995 shifts finished more than an hour later than planned in December 2015 and in January 2016 this rose to 3,639.

UNISON issued the ambulance trust with a ballot notice for industrial action last week.

After the notice was sent UNISON says a planned meeting with the chief executive was cancelled by the trust at short notice.

UNISON has approached the arbitration service ACAS for assistance and will start discussions with the ambulance trust tomorrow (Tuesday) in an attempt to resolve the dispute.