Pensioner's 75-minute wait for 999 crew

A great-grandmother who fell over in the street and broke her leg had to wait 75 minutes for an ambulance.

Ethel Harris, 92, died three days later from a blood clot following surgery to reset her femur.

After her fall, she was left lying on the ground in freezing temperatures when ambulance chiefs ruled there were more important calls to deal with. She was yards from the local ambulance station and hospital at the time.

Mrs Harris, a former customs and excise administrator, broke her leg outside her home in Enfield last week.

As her condition deteriorated, neighbours repeatedly dialled 999 begging for help but were reluctant to move her because of the fracture. They wrapped her in duvets and assumed an ambulance would arrive shortly. But London Ambulance Service staff classified her "low priority".

An ambulance service spokesman said a vehicle had become available half an hour after the initial call, but was diverted to attend a more urgent case. Mrs Harris's daughter, Sheila Titcombe, said: "While she waited, the cold would have been very bad for her." London Ambulance Service said they would investigate.