AMBULANCE bosses have responded to a claim that an elderly woman was left waiting on the pavement for almost two hours for paramedics to arrive after having a fall.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service apologised for any upset but said the time delay was 56 minutes, not an hour and 45 minutes - the time which has been reported to the Star by a bystander.

The woman, in her 60s, slipped on the street in Clock Face village last week, sustaining injuries to her face and body.

A spokesperson for the North West Ambulance Service said: "We understand that waiting for an ambulance can be a very stressful time and we are sorry for any upset caused to the patient. The trust is experiencing significant demand and has seen a 25 per cent increase in emergency incidents over the last year.

"All of our 999 calls are prioritised based on the information given by the caller and those patients with immediate life-threatening conditions are dealt with as a priority.

"The trust was called to a patient at 5.40pm on November 18 and a Rapid Response Vehicle arrived on scene at 6.36pm to commence treatment.

"If the patient or their family would like to discuss the incident with us, we would be happy to do so."

Ernie Bate, a neighbour on Clock Face Road, said: "The initial 999 call was made at 4.50pm. We were all assured that it was a priority situation, but demand was high at that particular time."

He added: "This elderly lady lay on a wet pavement in cold, windy and wet conditions for an hour and 45 minutes before receiving professional attention."