The head of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) was facing emergency talks with management over his future on Wednesday.

Michael Honey has been told to resign or face the sack over his running of the service, which has been under fire because of poor performance.

LAS is the largest ambulance service in Europe, but it has been beset by problems. The number of calls it receives have soared and staff say under-funding means they cannot meet target times or find enough crews to respond to emergencies.

Control room staff wrote a letter to bosses last year saying patients' lives were at risk from under-funding.

The letter, from staff at Central Accident Control in August 1999, stated: "To say that patients' lives are at risk is an understatement. At times, sheer workload, coupled with poor manning, creates an air of anxiety that is almost tangible.

"Staff are being put under intense pressure and mental strain, with often scant rewards."

Delays

The letter followed claims that an 11-year-old boy could have died because of delays in an ambulance reaching him.

A statement from the ambulance service on Wednesday said: "Discussions are taking place between LAS chairman Sigurd Reinton and chief executive Michael Honey about the future management of the service.

"Those discussions are private and personal and it would be wrong to comment further until they are complete."

Sacking him was not the answer to the service's problems, said pressure group London Health emergency.

Spokesman Geoff Martin said: "Michael Honey is being made a scapegoat for the failure of the service.

"There has been a huge increase in demand and he has not been given the resources to cope."