London paramedic throttled by passer-by as he answered emergency call

London Ambulance Service has condemned the latest in a series of attacks on emergency medical personnel

Paramedics attend to an injured person at the scene

An on-duty London paramedic was attacked by a pedestrian in the latest in a spate of attacks on emergency response medics.

On November 16, a 'single responder' paramedic, sent ahead of an ambulance for a potentially serious call in north-west London, was grabbed by the throat by a passer-by, according to the Evening Standard.

The attacker was enraged about how the paramedic had parked his first-response car, and tried pushing him towards the A406 carriageway.

Upon the arrival of the second medical team, the attacker was arrested and the paramedic sent to hospital - he was back on duty the next day.

London Ambulance Service slammed the attack - one of five on paramedics in recent days - as "completely unacceptable" and said it will take legal action against all who harm its staff.

Further violent acts against emergency medics in the capital have been reported in the last week, including one that same night in which a medic was kicked, bitten and scratched by a patient in Battersea who was later sectioned.

On November 13, a patient in West Wickham scalded a medic by throwing hot tea, and the next day another EMT was punched in the stomach by a patient in Lewisham.

Jason Killens, director of operations at LAS, told the Evening Standard: "Attacking my ambulance crews as they go about saving lives in the capital will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"Medics are already under a great deal of pressure. It is completely unacceptable that they should also face the risk of assault when they go to assist members of the public."

These incidents are part of a growing trend in London, with around a five per cent annual increase in attacks on ambulance crews - 414 in the year ending in March 2014.