Thousands of Londoners have rallied to help the ambulance service after one of its emergency vehicles was daubed with graffiti.

A picture of the graffiti was posted on Facebook by a paramedic at Poplar ambulance station which has been shared more than 5,000 times in a bid to find the culprit.

Dean Buttery put the image on Facebook yesterday, just hours after the ambulance was vandalised at the depot on Mile End, asking, “Does anyone know whose tag this is? It’s now off the road so we are down an ambulance that you or your family might need.”

Dean received offers to clean the ambulance during an outpour of support after posting the image.

London Ambulance Service has since confirmed that the vehicle has been cleaned and is now back on the road.

Assistant director of operations Natasha Wills said: “Acts of vandalism are incredibly frustrating because they limit a crew’s ability to respond to emergencies.

“We were able to get a replacement vehicle on the road quickly—but these mindless acts have an impact on the response we’re able to give Londoners.”

But some social media comments have criticised putting the image online, saying it gives the culprit attention. Jake Sullivan wrote that it gives the graffiti tagger “a big ego”.