A West Midlands MEP is calling for the region's rural emergency services to be protected and safeguarded.

UKIP MEP James Carver said government figures highlighted the need for rural emergency services to be protected from any cuts.

Emergency services should be reinstated where they have been closed, he added.

Mr Carver made the pledge following statistics which show that 60% of road fatalities occur on rural roads – far higher than the death toll on motorways.

He said: "In Hereford and Worcester we are facing the loss of two fire engines and also dozens of dedicated full-time firefighters.

"Any cuts to these vital services could have catastrophic consequences."

The government figures showed the value of properly funded rural emergency services in the West Midlands and across the country, said Mr Carver.

"I will fight any attempts to cut emergency services service rural communities.

"To respond to emergencies you need emergency services on the ground."

Figures from the Department of Transport (DoT) reveal that 862 people died and more than 7,500 were severely injured on English rural roads last year.

The statistics report that three people die, on average, each day on rural roads and that the number of people killed on country roads is almost 11 times higher than on motorways.

Mr Carver said: "These stark new figures show the dangers of country roads. As someone who lives in a rural area I see the dangers of narrow and blind country lanes."

He added: "I strongly believe that rural emergency services should be safeguarded from any future government cuts."