A 101-YEAR-OLD woman on Teesside had to wait six hours for an ambulance to be taken to her hospital just one mile away, it has emerged.

The case has come to light after her MP, Tom Blenkinsop, Labour, told her story in an effort to highlight ongoing difficulties in the A&E service.

The pensioner had breathing problems and her family in Middlesbrough called for an ambulance to take her to the nearby James Cook University Hospital.

After waiting for six hours her family eventually cancelled the call.

Mr Blenkinsop also highlighted a second case, this time involving an 89-year-old lady with dementia who, he said, had to wait for 11 hours before being reached in her home.

Mr Blenkinsop said: “Unfortunately this is not a new issue and is not just affecting Teesside, it is across the country.

“We are really getting to a point now where the Health Secretary needs to start planning properly, which he has not done to this point and which is why we are in this situation.”

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said it could not comment on these specific cases. However its Chief Operating Officer for the North East Ambulance Service, Paul Liversidge, has said that during the winter months demand is often heavy and the service is experiencing severe pressures. He apologised to people who had to wait longer than normal.

Last month the ambulance service raised its operational status to "severe pressure."