Op for 70 stone man

A 70-stone man from Ipswich has been moved to hospital to undergo specialist medical treatment.

Paul Mason who's 48 and believed to be the world's heaviest man, made the journey from his home in Ipswich to a specialist unit more than 150 miles away in West Sussex.

It is understood Mr Mason will undergo gastric bypass surgery at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester. Patients who receive the treatment typically experience dramatic weight loss.

It is thought that Mr Mason was transported on Wednesday (13th January 2010) in a specially built bariatric ambulance designed for obese patients. A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said: "While our ambulances can deal with the majority of the population we serve, we sometimes need to call on partner services which provide vehicles to move patients who exceed 25 to 30 stone.

St John Ambulance is one of the companies which we work in partnership with for this specialist service. We respond to calls for help irrespective of an individual's physical circumstances and will adopt the most appropriate means of transport for that patient's needs. We can not comment on individual cases but we take all the necessary steps to ensure each patient is conveyed in an appropriate, safe, dignified and professional manner.''

Keith Hotchkiss from St John Ambulance Service