The ambulance service has apologised for the four-hour wait an 85-year-old woman had to endure in Faversham after she fell and broke her pelvis.

An ambulance was called after the pensioner fell to the ground in Partridge Lane at about 11.45am on Saturday.

She was comforted by passers-by and blankets were found to keep her warm as she laid on the pavement until mid-afternoon.

When an ambulance did eventually arrive, the woman was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

SECAmb has put the delayed response down to prioritising life-threatening events during the busy Christmas period.

A spokesman, who says that two community first responders went to the patient before the arrival of the paramedics, said: “We are very sorry that this patient had to wait longer than we would like for us to attend.

“We were experiencing extremely high levels of demand at the time of the call on what was one of the busiest days of the year.

"We were sending a response to patients in a serious or life-threatening condition, which will have resulted in some patients waiting longer.

“We would like to thank anyone else at the scene who helped the woman. We appreciate she have been in a lot of pain and discomfort.”

Under-pressure ambulance crews in the south east responded to one call every 20 seconds on New Year’s Eve.

Campaigners fear the “horrific situation” facing healthcare in east Kent, where A&E waiting times were twice ranked as the country's worst last year, will only get worse as overrun hospital staff struggle to cope with the number of patients.

Patients have reportedly been left waiting for hours on trolleys in corridors, with others being cared for in ambulances.

To combat demand, NHS bosses have triggered a level 3 in operational pressures escalation, meaning the east Kent health system is “experiencing major pressures that compromise patient flow”.

Nine operations have also been cancelled on the day of surgery in the last fortnight - despite 200 fewer being scheduled as part of a six-week emergency plan.

Concern for Health in East Kent (Chek) chairman Ken Rogers has even suggested bringing in help from the Army Medical Corps, saying that: “This is the worst I have ever known – I have never seen it this bad.

“Enough is enough. The William Harvey and QEQM cannot cope, we can’t let this go on. They need to reopen acute services at the Kent and Canterbury even if it means calling in Army medics to help relieve pressure.

“Staff tell me stories of how bad it is – they are fearful for patients. I know there are problems up and down the country but the situation in east Kent is horrific. If a patient dies because they cannot be treated in time, that is criminal.

“There are queues of ambulances at Ashford and Margate, while the K&C, which has no A&E or acute care, lies virtually empty. It makes no sense."