I thought you might be interested to learn that following the DfT's consultation on changes to the Road Vehicle Lighting Regs and the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs, the final regulations have since been laid, which means that changes made have come into force from the 4th of this month.
Amongst other issues, the main change that affects us is:
the allowance of the police, ambulance and fire rescue services to use their distinctive retro reflective coloured liveries.
This means that the temporary Special Order that was once in place has now been succeeded with a permanent entitlement to use green retro-reflective material on emergency ambulance vehicles.
I also have a copy of the DfT's final consultation document - so please let me know if you would like to receive a copy. But in general the DfT make the following conclusion:
"In the Department's view, the proposal in the draft S.I. is intended to apply only to those ambulances used for emergency purposes. Vehicles used for other purposes, such as patient transport, should not use the retro-reflective green markings whether they are operated by NHS trusts or privately and this will be made clear in any future guidance issued by the Department. This is in line with the current requirements for the use of blue warning beacons which permit their use on both NHS and private ambulances.
There is also no requirement in the regulations that the "battenburg" pattern should be used by all ambulances. While we would expect the NHS trusts to continue to use this format, other operators may use other patterns, notably St John Ambulance already use a chevron style pattern. NHS trusts also have access to the NHS".
The full text of the two regulations is available at:
SI 2009 No. 3220: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/uksi_20093220_en_1
SI 2009 No. 3221: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/uksi_20093221_en_1
Seems to common with plod - no two counties like to be the same 
