AN injured woman had to wait 30 minutes for an ambulance in sub-zero temperatures following a road accident in Bury.

The pedestrian suffered a fractured right leg and what were initially believed to be serious head injuries when she collided with a car at the junction of Bolton Road and Crostons Road at 6.15pm. Two other vehicles were also involved in the crash.

Rush hour traffic was brought to a standstill as police closed the road. The woman was treated in the road by a paramedic who arrived within three minutes of the smash in a Rapid Response Vehicle. However, it was not until 30 minutes later that an ambulance from Bolton arrived at the scene to take the semi-conscious casualty to Fairfield General Hospital. Her injuries are not life threatening and she is expected to make a full recovery.

A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service defended the delay in an ambulance being dispatched to the accident scene.

she said: "With regards to this particular incident a Rapid Response Vehicle was on scene within three minutes of the call being received. During the time between the RRV and ambulance arriving on scene, the patient was being cared for by a clinically trained and experienced paramedic.

"As all ambulances were being deployed to other serious and life threatening calls at this time, an ambulance was on scene as soon as it became available.

"We acknowledge that waiting for an ambulance can cause distress and would like to reassure the public that patient care is a priority."