DORSET’s air ambulance was due to be back in the sky this morning after being grounded yesterday amid safety fears.

Twenty-two Eurocopter EC135 helicopters were withdrawn by main operator Bond Air Services over concerns about possible cracks in the rotor blades.

Safety checks were ordered last month after a crack was found on the main rotor hub of one EC135 which could cause a helicopter to crash.

The model is used by air ambulance services in Dorset and Somerset, Devon and Hampshire as well as the Midlands, the North West, Thames Valley, Scotland and Wales.

After the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered daily safety inspections, Bond said an additional safety notice had been issued by Eurocopter following further reports of cracks in several helicopters.

Eurocopter had not ordered that the fleet be grounded but Bond said earlier it had felt compelled to take that decision, adding: “Eurocopter need to give a definitive statement about the problem and the solution to it.

“Until that happens we’ve taken the view that safety comes first and have suspended the service.”

Tracy Bartram from Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance said last night: “We have had confirmation from Bond Air Services that their temporary suspension from flight for the EC135 will be lifted with effect from 7am on Wednesday.

“This follows receipt from Eurocopter of evidence giving Bond Air Services the level of flight safety assurance that they sought.”

It is understood that while Hampshire’s EC135 is being serviced a replacement Bolkow helicopter is being used to airlift casualties to hospitals across the county.

The family of 15-year-old son Max Brimble say he owes his life to the air ambulance after he suffered a severe head injury after being kicked by a horse in 2001.

The schoolboy was walking in a field near his home in Batcombe, near Dorchester, when he was kicked. He fractured his skull, suffered two heart attacks and was kept in hospital for 10 months. His family was told to prepare for the worst.

Pete Brimble, Max’s father, said: “It is the only charity I would ever donate or give any money to.”

Mr Brimble, from Castle Park, Dorchester, added that he understood that these safety inspections were necessary.