Anyone who gets into trouble hiking in Scotland or Wales and needed rescuing would be grateful for the helicopter rescue service.

But many might be surprised to learn that that service is run by a for-profit private equity-owned global company Avincis, which has consolidated its operations and made its headquarters in the UK.

The company employs 3,000 people in 10 countries.

James Drummond, group chief executive of Avincis told the Today programme he does not see a conflict of interest in being a profitable company which provides helicopter search and rescue services.

He said: "If your life is in danger you just want to be rescued. We provide more rescue services than any other organisation anywhere in the world.

"We have a deep and broad expertise in this, which is absolutely critical to deliver both value for money and operational excellence."

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