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Late night revellers will be able to get help from volunteers aboard the SOS Bus which has been launched in Medway.

The bright orange vehicle will provide a safe haven for people suffering from the effects of drugs or alcohol, offering first aid and advice to ensure that they get home safe and sound.

The bus has life-saving equipment on board and is split into three rooms - a medical room which will have oxygen and a defibrillator, an open area with seating and a private room.

During the day, the bus will be used for health promotion across the Medway Towns.

The bus, along with an SOS van which will act as a support vehicle, was officially unveiled at Rochester Castle Gardens on Tuesday.

It has been funded by Medway Police, Medway Council and the NHS and cost £200,000 to get up and running but Chief Supt Steve Corbishley, police area commander for Medway, said it will actually save money in the long run.

“These costs have to be compared to the cost of picking up the pieces when night time activities are not managed - such as the cost to local businesses if property is damaged, the cost to Medway Council who have to clear up damage, the cost to the NHS to treat people who have had too much to drink or injured themselves or the costs to the police if arrests are made,” he added.

Ch Supt Corbishly introduced the idea of an SOS bus for Medway when he became area commander in 2008, after seeing the success of similar schemes in other parts of the country.

When putting together the plans for the bus, partners in Medway spoke to their counterparts in Colchester, Essex, about the success of an SOS bus there.

It has been estimated the Colchester bus has prevented more than 700 hospital visits in its first year of service and there are hopes the Medway scheme will be just as successful.

Ch Supt Corbishley added: “The money we have secured so far will keep it running for its first year. In the future we hope to secure volunteer support and sponsorship from other sources, that’s how other schemes have worked. I’m sure that when people see the benefits the bus is going to have in Medway, that support will come rolling in.”

The bus will operate on Friday and Saturday nights in Rochester. It is expected to start running in May.