Patients waiting for routine hospital treatment in Bolton have risen to more than 33,000, according to the most recent figures.

NHS England findings show that a total 33,598 patients were waiting for non-urgent operations or treatment at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust by the end of April, up from 32,659 the month before.

Around five per cent of them, coming to 1,660 people, had been waiting for more than a year, with a large backlog still left by the legacy of the pandemic.

Royal College of Surgeons vice president Tim Mitchell said: “Surgical teams have been working around the clock to reduce the enormous waiting list which built up during the pandemic.

“However, there are still big challenges ahead.

“As people return to the NHS, demand is only getting stronger.”

Across England as a whole, 6.5m people were waiting to start treatment at the end of April.

But the Department of Health and Social Care said the government has made record investments in tackling the backlog caused by the pandemic and rising demand for the NHS more generally.

A spokesperson said: “Good progress is being made on cutting waiting times with a two thirds reduction in the number of patients waiting longest for treatment since February."