A man has been charged with the theft of a state of the art fast response ambulance which was found abandoned and burnt out in Paisley.

George Halliday, 35, of Ferguson Street, Johnstone, has been remanded in custody following a brief appearance on petition.

Mr Halliday is charged with stealing the vehicle, and also with breaking into a house in the same street and stealing two sets of car keys, electrical items, two laptop computers personal papers, bank cards and a number of NHS documents.

The £25,000 Subaru Forrester was stolen from outside a medic's house in Johnstone. It was later found burnt out on a patch of waste ground in Ferguslie Park, Paisley.

The 4x4 paediatric intensive care response vehicle, which was bought by charitable funding, was used in specialist and acute care cases for ferrying sick children to hospital.

Mr Halliday made no declaration during his brief appearance in chambers, represented by defence agent Charlie McCusker and was remanded in custody when the case against him was continued for further examination by Sheriff Colin McGrory.