A MAN threatened to burn down an ambulance station because he could no longer stand the sound of sirens, a court heard.

Larry Wallace, 52, who lives in Rayleigh Road, Thundersley, near the Rayleigh Weir station, had repeatedly contacted the ombudsman to complain.

Finally he snapped and told Tom Lyttle at the ombudsman’s office on May 18: “I wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, but I wish cancer on the person harming me.”

Suzanne Stringer, prosecuting, said: “He also made threats to lock staff inside the ambulance station and burn it down.”

Wallace pleaded guilty to making an offensive phone call when he appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The court heard Wallace had been living at his address for eight years and had a long-running dispute with the ambulance service.

Miss Stringer said: “He says they drive past his property late at night disturbing him, putting on their emergency lights and sirens. He says he only lives half a mile from the ambulance station, he accepts the ambulance service is an emergency service, but he says when they are 50 yards away from his address they blast their horns.”

She said Wallace told police he was trying to make a point that if the ambulance service was burnt down people would finally look back through their records and realise a man had made complaints, but nothing was done.

Wallace, who was representing himself, said he had collected a petition of 30 disgruntled residents in the past.

He added: “I’m 52 years old. I’ve worked hard all my life and all I ever want to do is have a peaceful life. I moved to Benfleet about ten years ago and when I first moved here I read in my local paper about unecessary use of ambulance sirens and I thought what are they on about.”

But his feelings changed when he kept hearing horns and sirens in the early hours of the morning. He added: “I’ve got neighbours on sleeping pills.”

He apologised for making the comments, but said he was very frustrated at the time.

District Judge Kevin Gray said: “When you have dealings with people you’re going to have to talk a bit more wisely.” He was given a six month conditional discharge.