ONE in five ambulance patients in England waited more than an hour to be handed to A&E teams last week, official figures published today reveal.

The shocking data comes as hospitals hit by years of Tory austerity struggle with bed shortages and a post-Covid lockdown surge in winter viruses.

The total is down from nearly one in four the previous week, partly due to strikes over pay by ambulance workers, but is still well above the 4 per cent seen in the same week last year.