North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) says the fraudsters are pretending to be ambulance service staff asking for donations to help pay their wages while on strike.

The service says they have received reports of people going door-to-door in Manchester attempting to obtain donations.

But NWAS insists the people are not employees of the service, while union officials also insist they are not allowed to raise strike funds door-to-door.

A spokesperson for NWAS said: "We have been made aware that there are some people in Manchester posing as ambulance service staff and knocking on people's doors asking for donations to pay wages whilst on strike.

"Please note, these people are not North West Ambulance Service staff, so please don't donate.

"If you find their behaviour concerning, please report it to the police via 101."

Union officials also criticised the scammers, describing their behaviour as "absolutely outrageous".

Paul Turner, a GMB member and North West Ambulance Service paramedic, told Sky News: "GMB is not taking part in any fundraising of this kind.

"Betraying people's trust in this way is absolutely outrageous. What is wrong with people?"

Ambulance staff are due to strike later this month, in what will be the biggest ambulance strike action in 30 years.

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Members of the GMB, Unite and Unison unions, which collectively represent around 25,000 ambulance workers, will walk out on 21 December.

The walkout, which will involve paramedics, call handlers and emergency care assistants at 10 of the 11 ambulance trusts in England and Wales, is over pay.

The strike will affect non-life-threatening calls only.

It will be followed by a second day of strike action, by GMB members only, on 28 December.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of nurses went on strike for their first mass walkout in a century across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Picket lines sprang up outside dozens of hospitals, and thousands of NHS appointments and operations were cancelled, with the health service running a bank holiday-style service in many areas.

The action by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN), a bid to secure above-inflation pay rises, went ahead after talks to avert it ended in deadlock.

A second day of strike action by RCN members is scheduled to take place on 20 December.