THE ambulance service has apologised for failing to turn up after an elderly woman collapsed in Wellington town centre.

The incident took place just before midday on Monday, January 29, when the an elderly woman fell to the floor in a high street shop.

It is understood a member of the public called 999 on her behalf and was advised that an ambulance could take hours to arrive.

The woman was left lying on the floor of the shop, shielded from public view by cardboard screens, for more than two hours.

With an ambulance failing to arrive on the scene, it is believed that the woman was able to contact a family member to collect her.

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service apologised for not responding 'in a timely manner' and blamed high demand for the no-show. Commenting they said:

"We are sorry that we were unable to provide a timely response and we would like to wish them well in their recovery.

"Our ambulance clinicians strive every day to give their best to patients, but during this winter period we have seen the demand on our service increase to levels that we have not experienced since early 2023.

“We would like to assure the public that we continue to work extremely hard to minimise the disruption to our services and would urge the use of 999 for incidents which are of the most serious nature and to consider other services available services in your area which may include your GP, pharmacy, minor injuries, urgent treatment centre or 111.”