by Martin Jefferies

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for Kent's air ambulance to be exempt from paying VAT on its fuel.

The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance (KSSAA) service, which relies entirely on donations, spends around £55,000 a year on fuel – around £9,000 of which is VAT and goes straight to the government.

The RNLI has not had to pay VAT on fuel for its lifeboats since 1977, but that same provision does not extend to air ambulances.

If it were to be made exempt, KSSAA estimates it would be able to afford an extra four launches a year.

Jill Playle, a spokesman for the charity, which is based in Marden, near Maidstone, said: "It would make a massive difference and potentially allow us to help save even more lives.

"It costs £5m a year to run the air ambulance and although £9,000 is only a small proportion of that total cost, it's very valuable."

She added: "As a comparable charity to the RNLI, we'd be very interested to know why they're exempt yet we're not."

The e-petition, which was set up on the government's website and is believed to have been signed by dozens of MPs, passed the 100,000 mark yesterday.

It is a significant milestone, because it guarantees the petition will be debated in the House of Commons.

KSSAA's two helicopters have flown more than 200 missions this year.

It takes more than 560 litres to refill each of the aircraft, which burn 255 litres of fuel every hour when airborne.

On average, the helicopters use 500 litres to fly to an emergency and get an injured patient to a trauma centre in London.

To sign the petition follow the link here.