A WOMAN who was left waiting for an ambulance for more than an hour after being hit by a car has called for more government funding for paramedics.

Aisha Holgath was hit by a Toyota Avensis in Trinity Street on Monday December 15 at 9am.

However, the 25-year-old had to wait for 45 minutes for a paramedic — and an ambulance did not turn up until 10.08am.

Miss Holgath, from Great Lever, had six stitches to the back of her head and also suffered tissue damage to her left leg, a swollen jaw, black eyes and bruising to her face.

She was immediately treated and looked after by by-standers and work colleagues until an ambulance showed up.

She was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, where she stayed for two days, and she is now making a steady recovery at home.

Miss Holgath said: "I feel there should be more ambulances in Bolton. I understand that this isn't down to the NHS in Bolton, it's a bigger problem in the UK.

"The trauma my family and friends went through is unforgivable — I'm lucky to be alive.

"If these people hadn't given up their time, I could easily have lost too much blood and died, so I can't thank them enough. I owe them my life."

A spokesman for North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "We got the call at 9am. The first paramedic was on the scene at 9.46am and he had all the same equipment as a normal vehicle.

"The ambulance arrived at 10.08am and and left the scene at 10.30am.

“We understand that waiting for an ambulance can be quite worrying and we are very sorry for any distress caused to the patient and their family.

“The trust is currently receiving an unprecedented amount of 999 calls and we have seen a sharp rise in demand to what is already an extremely busy service.

“We would urge the patient or their family to contact us as soon as possible so we can launch an investigation into the cause of the delay and share our findings with them.”

David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East, said: "I'm very concerned about this, because I have had letters from a number of people about the issue of ambulance waiting times.

"It's clear that the government have made cuts right across the board and it's a disgrace that it is not delivering on the frontline. It doesn't get much more frontline than a woman bleeding in the street.

"This is not how it should be. The best thing that Aisha and her family can do is to write me a letter, and I will pursue their questions."