The government has no plans to return VAT collected on fuel to air ambulance services, according to a city MP.

Norwich North's Chloe Smith, economic secretary to the treasury, told Parliament it was also not possible to have a reduced VAT rate on air ambulance fuel due to EU law.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance service, based at Norwich Airport, covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire every day throughout the year. The charity is entirely dependent on fundraising and needs more than �4m a year to keep its two air ambulances flying and to provide advanced medical equipment.