Football player left in "unbearable pain" for two hours until ambulance arrived

Mike Coleman, 28, fractured both bones in his right leg while playing for Darlington RA against Heaton Stannington at the club’s home ground on Brinkburn Road on Saturday.

An ambulance was called for Mr Coleman at 4.50pm but did not arrive at the ground until 6.56pm.

The ambulance had travelled 30 miles from Hartlepool.

By the time it arrived Mr Coleman's lips were blue, his face was white, and he had spent over two hours lying on the sodden pitch in the freezing rain.

He said: “I knew it was broken straight away. I heard a huge crack.

“Waiting was unbearable. It was the worst experience of my life.

“I was shaking and it was freezing cold. It was personal torture.”

Supporters covered Mr Coleman in their coats to keep him warm and Darlington RA secretary Alan Hamilton held an umbrella to shield him from the rain.

Mr Hamilton said: “We couldn’t move him. We did what we could to keep the rain off him.

“You wouldn’t want to leave your dog out there.”

Mr Coleman was first taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital but was sent 25 miles up the road to Durham because it was too busy.

On Sunday morning he was sent back to Darlington Memorial where he had an operation to insert a metal rod in his leg.

He said he understood the need to prioritise the most serious calls but the lengthy wait seemed “excessive”.

A spokeswoman for the NEAS apologised for the delay.

She said: “Between the time of the first call and our arrival we received 232 calls. Of those, 82 were categorised as potentially life-threatening.

"This places pressure on our system and unfortunately means that some patients have to wait longer than we would like as we must prioritise those most in need."

She said a number of ambulances were held up on the night as they transferred patients between busy A&E departments.

She said:“Pressures in our local hospitals can significantly impact on our ability to respond to patients in a timely way."