RECORD numbers of patients are waiting for more than four hours for treatment at ­England’s over-stretched accident and emergency departments, latest figures showed yesterday.

For the first time ever A&Es have failed to meet treatment targets for six months in a row, according to figures from NHS England.

The Department of Health says that 95 per cent of patients must be treated within four hours, but government cuts and closures caused missed targets from September 2014 to March 2015.