A WOMAN had to be winched to safety down an icy hill after her car hit an ambulance.

Firefighters were called in to help lower the victim to a second ambulance waiting at the bottom of the steep road in Brighton last night.

They had to walk half a mile carrying a heavy winch from Preston Circus fire station.

The woman lost control of her people carrier as she drove down Ann Street, Brighton, at 5.30pm.

The vehicle slid into an empty ambulance used to transport patients to and from hospital appointments.

It had got stuck there earlier in the day as it was driven up the hill.

The woman, who has not been named but is in her 40s, had an existing back problem and was unable to get out of the people carrier.

Her son was with her and called for an ambulance and fire crews to help free his mother.

Dave Statham, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service watch manager at Preston Circus, said two fire crews walked to the scene because of the weather conditions.

He added: “The ambulance had been there for several hours when the people carrier clipped it.

“Because the lady had an existing back condition she had to be removed from the vehicle and put onto a stretcher.

“But because the road is quite steep it was too slippery to walk the stretcher down the hill.

“We secured her car to a line from a winch attached to the base of a lamppost and used a rope to lower her down the hill on the stretcher.

“It took a good hour to deal with the incident because the ambulance called to take her to hospital was delayed getting there because of the conditions.

“We kept her in her own car in the warm until the second ambulance arrived.”

The woman was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, but was not thought to be seriously injured.

Mr Statham said the day shift at Preston Circus were the first at the scene after they were called at 5.55pm.

He said: “Because the ambulance was delayed getting there we had to do a shift change after the first crew had been there half an hour.

“Because of the conditions there was no transport available so the two crews had to walk down London Road with all the kit.

“The other crew had to walk back again with it all when the incident was all over.

“It was all a bit bizarre really, I have never done that before.”