THE current cold spell has led to a shocking 27 per cent rise in patients stuck in ambulances for over an hour, Labour analysis revealed yesterday.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth warned ministers to “urgently get a grip” and said the latest figures showed the scale of the crisis facing the NHS.

The NHS Weekly Winter and Monthly Combined Performance statistics released by NHS England revealed that 2,500 patients had been left waiting in an ambulance for more than an hour in just one week.