More than a dozen WWII-era ambulance stations are still in use in the NHS today.
Official figures show there are 15 publicly funded ambulance stations built prior to 1948 - the year the health service was founded.
Health unions say many ambulance stations in general have “fallen into a terrible state of disrepair” after suffering years of underfunding.
Ambulance workers are forced to get ready, have their meals and take their breaks in bases that could have mould, leaking roofs and freezing temperatures.
It comes as more than 10,000 ambulance staff prepare to join nurses in co-ordinated walkouts on February 6, in one of the biggest strikes in NHS history.
They are striking over working conditions as well as pay.
Alan Lofthouse, 46, a former paramedic who worked in the ambulance service for 10 years, said his station was built in the 1960s and had “problems like asbestos”.
“In these old buildings, when you're trying to rest on nights, you'd be next to a window, a single pane window, and you could feel the air coming through the holes and the rotten frames,” he said.
“In every ambulance station you've got a store room that's full of either the drugs that ambulance staff give or the medical equipment they need in an emergency and all of those things need storing. With our old store rooms, it was difficult to keep things dry.”
He added: “I can imagine there's a lot of these old buildings that are not in the best of repair. I can't imagine the Tories have been funding lots of investment in buildings when they haven't been investing in staff. I just can't see that being a sort of feasibility.”
Head of health Sara Gorton at trade union Unison said: "Without proper funding, buildings have fallen into a terrible state of disrepair and there's too few staff to meet growing demands.”
She added: “The dilapidated state of many ambulance stations is a clear sign of 12 years of government neglect.”
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said: “People know ambulance workers are underpaid and face unbearable workloads, devastating delays and chronic underfunding.
“In addition many ambulance stations simply aren’t fit for purpose.
“In some trusts, creaking stations are more than 50 years old, often repurposed military buildings or shared spaces with other emergency services.
“Meanwhile other trusts have sold the family silver and now lease new buildings with no strategic placement. They put cost before what we actually need.
“It can mean ambulance workers have to drive miles to start their shift then drive the ambulance back into town for their first patient. It makes no sense and has a huge impact on response times.
“Ambulance workers and the stations - like the rest of the health service - are close to collapse after more than a decade of Conservative cuts.”
The figures on old ambulance stations were revealed in a parliamentary question by Lib Dem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper.
Ms Cooper said: “The Conservative Government has starved our treasured NHS of funding for far too long.
"Across England too many NHS buildings are life-expired or crumbling.
“Hardworking paramedics and nurses are this country's heroes but they are faced with hostile Conservative Ministers who can't properly fund their work. With ambulance waiting times already at dangerous levels the Government must invest in our emergency health services including an urgent recruitment drive.
"It is clear that Britain will never trust the Conservative party with the NHS again."
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