An 89-year-old great-grandmother was left lying in the rain for two hours waiting for an ambulance after a fall.
Evelyn Davey was left on the cold, wet pavement after she slipped and fell outside the front door of a social club on Prescot Road, Acklam.
Ambulance chiefs blamed the service facing “high” demand at the time for the slow response.
After her fall, passers-by and club members tried to keep Mrs Davey as warm and dry as possible, placing blankets and umbrellas over her as she lay in agony.
At one point, helpers attempted to move her but her screams soon halted them, fearing they would cause further harm.
Ray Porter, Mrs Davey’s son-in-law, was angry and disappointed with what his mother-in-law was made to endure.
He drove from Northallerton to the No 1 Amalgamated Club in the time it took the emergency services to reach her.
The 61-year-old said: “My wife, Lynn, rang me at 12.50pm and I drove from Northallerton to Tollesby, in Acklam, to pick her up.
“We went straight to the hospital but when we arrived at 1.45pm, they knew nothing about it and did not know where Evelyn was.
“We just assumed that she would have been taken there by that time.
“After a while we got sick of waiting so I rang the club and they told me that she was still outside so we drove there and saw two ambulances outside.”
“We can’t believe it and will definitely be putting in a letter of complaint.”
Club secretary, Barbara Leyshon, 50, was one of the helpers who tried to comfort Mrs Davey during her ordeal.
She said: “She was freezing and her hands were very cold. As time went on she was getting colder and colder and we were getting more worried.
“She was saying that her legs were starting to get numb and she was getting very tired.
“I can’t believe how long she had to stay like that.”
Another helper, Gary West, from Ormesby said: “It is ridiculous. I know they have to prioritise but at her age it is shocking that they could not get to her quicker.”
He said council worker, Mark Quigley and a young girl, stayed with her for the whole time.
He added: “They really are life-savers.”
Mrs Davey’s ordeal was captured on CCTV which her family has agreed to be released.
It is the second time the slow response times of the North East Ambulance Service have been reported.
Earlier this week, a 15-year-old boy had to wait more than two hours for an ambulance to arrive after breaking his leg.
Talking about the incident involving Mrs Davey, a spokeswoman for North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called a 12.38pm to reports of a woman who had suffered as fall, sustaining a non-life threatening injury to her shoulder.
“At the time we were handling a high volume of emergencies.
“A crew became available to attend at 2.40pm and the patient was taken to James Cook University Hospital.”
Mrs Davey was last night recovering in hospital. It is understood she suffered a broken arm and is undergoing other tests.
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