A FURIOUS neighbour has hit out at the ambulance service after an elderly lady was left at the bottom of the stairs for more than an hour despite first aid crews sitting unused just minutes away.

Linda Hanton from Mayes Lane in Little Oakley found her 89-year-old neighbour collapsed.

“We live ten minutes walk from the ambulance station in Clayton Road, Dovercourt but it was more than an hour before they came.”

Ambulance bosses have apologised for the delay in sending an ambulance.

Dr Anthony Marsh, chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, said: “We incorrectly coded the call and should have sent an ambulance straight away to the patient.
“When the nurse spoke to the caller it was clear that an ambulance was required and one was immediately dispatched, arriving two minutes after being sent.”