A pensioner who fell off his bike was reportedly left lying with his head in the road for nearly five hours waiting for an ambulance.
North West Ambulance Service confirmed they were called at 12.08pm yesterday to an accident on the Dock Road in Garston.
They said due to prioritisation of other emergencies and receiving a large amount of 999 calls an ambulance didn't arrive until 5.04pm.
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An off-duty nurse is said to have waited with the injured man - said to be around 70 years old - while a police car parked as a barrier to protect the man lying in the road.
A source told the ECHO : "[The injured cyclist] was turning around and another cyclist coming the other way made him fall off.
"[The] fire brigade stopped and provided a thermal blanket and port police used [their] vehicle as protection.
"But even after calls from fire and police the ambulance still took almost five hours as [he was] not category one."
They added: "He had fractured [his] hip. His head was in the road because it was too risky for the nurse to move him."
The source went on to say the nurse couldn't risk moving the injured cyclist as he was face down and she was on her own.
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “The ambulance service is currently experiencing an extremely high level of demand, and as we prioritise the most seriously injured and ill first, unfortunately, less urgent patients are experiencing a significant delay in response.
"At the time of this particular call at 12.08 yesterday, we had over 100 calls waiting in Merseyside and Cheshire alone.
“We were able to get a response vehicle to the scene at 16.14, with an emergency ambulance arriving at 17.04, after which the man was transported to Aintree University Hospital.
"We wish him a full and speedy recovery. If he has any further concerns, we urge him to contact our patient safety team."
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