A MAN who was left writhing in pain in a muddy field waited for over three hours for an ambulance to come and help him -but paramedics never turned up.

In the end, Andrew Hamilton, who had been out walking his three dogs near his Edgworth home when the accident happened, was hauled onto a piece of tarpaulin and driven to hospital in the boot of a 4x4.

The 51-year-old, whose wife was not in the area at the time, has now spoken out about his ‘daunting’ ordeal.

He said: “I fell after slipping on a muddy downhill verge. I was in so much pain and couldn’t move. My three dogs were running loose around the field and I was just hoping it wouldn’t be long until someone came across me. I called an ambulance and after a short while another walker found me.

“Before long a group of around 10 people had gathered, giving me their coats so I could keep warm. By this point I had been lying in the mud for around two hours and it was starting to get dark. there was still no sign of an ambulance and I still couldn’t move.”

At some point during Mr Hamilton’s ordeal, a doctor arrived on the scene to assess him and was able to ascertain that he had no serious neck or back injuries, meaning they could put a plan in place to try and move him out from the field.

He said: “The plan was to get me to the main road, call the ambulance again and hope that they appeared. It had been two-and-a-half hours by this stage and I was really beginning to lose hope.

“I couldn’t stand, so I was lifted onto a big sheet of tarpaulin and carried to the main road by a helpful group of locals, but there was still no ambulance.

“I was desperate at this stage and shivering uncontrollably, the pain was penetrating my bones. I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Two police officers were helping Mr Hamilton by this stage, and the walker was lifted into the back of a 4x4 and driven to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

On admission he was x-rayed and examined before it was determined he had torn the ligaments in his quadriceps. He was kept in hospital for three days.

He said: “It was a really daunting experience thinking that nobody was coming to treat me and take me to hospital.

“I really want to thank all of those who went out of their way to try and keep me warm and for keeping my spirits up.”

A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service said: “We always try to get to patients as quickly as we can, but sometimes there are more emergencies than there are ambulances. When this happens, patients in life-threatening situations are prioritised.

“Unfortunately this was one of those occasions and it meant that Mr Hamilton was waiting longer than we’d like. We would never intentionally leave anyone waiting for our help - there were simply no ambulances available to send.

“We are sorry for any distress caused and would like to thank the police and local people who kindly helped to get Mr Hamilton to hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery.”