Left, Maidstone Ambulance Station in Loose Road, Maidstone and right, Cranbrook Ambulance Station, Dr Hope's Road, Cranbrook

Ambulance stations across the county could close as part of a policy being developed by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Cranbrook, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks could be among the first to close under a new strategy called Make Ready, with Maidstone ambulance station earmarked for closure at a later date, according to ambulance staff.

Paddock Wood would become the central re-supply depot, with ambulance crews on standby at locations across the area.

The move has been condemned by Sir John Stanley, MP for Tonbridge and Malling, who said: "The closure of local ambulance stations is bound to reduce the adequacy and timeliness of ambulance cover and will put patients at risk."

The ambulance trust, SECAmb, said it was in discussions about how to roll out the initiative, but denied that any decision on station closures had yet been made.

Ann Widdecombe, MP for Maidstone and the Weald, said that any change would have to be looked at on its merit.

She said: "If it resulted in an improved local service, it could be welcomed. But if the changes were simply a cost-cutting measure that would be wholly different."

Miss Widdecombe said she had not yet seen any details of the trust’s plans.

A trust spokesman said: "The Make Ready initiative significantly enhances and improves the service SECAmb provides to the community. It minimises the risk of cross-infection, frees up front-line crews who traditionally clean and re-stock ambulances to spend more time treating patients and keeps vehicles on the road for longer."

The trust already operates two Make Ready depots in Chertsey, Surrey, and in Hastings, East Sussex.

Steve Rose, the senior operations manager for The Weald and South Kent, said: "We are now discussing how we can roll out this initiative across the whole of our operational area of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Improving patient outcomes and response times to patients requires our vehicles and crews to be where the public need them to be, when they need them.

"This is why you might see an ambulance on ‘standby’ in locations that are not ambulance stations, because they are closer to patient demand."

The trust said many ambulance stations were built more than 25 years ago and were not always in the best position for responding to patients quickly.

Sir John said he had been contacted by "frustrated" ambulance staff and said there was concern that the policy was financially motivated, with the trust seeking to raise money by selling off its existing sites.

A trust spokesman said: "If any stations do close, it will not mean the removal or reduction of services in those areas as vehicles and crews will continue to respond to patients from response posts, locations that have full facilities for staff."