A TEENAGE boy injured while playing in a football match waited in agony for more than an hour before an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.

Tyrone Shipley, 13, was playing for a Salisbury FC youth team at a tournament in South Newton at 5.45pm on Sunday, June 17, when he ripped the muscles in his leg and chipped his pelvis.

A paramedic in a rapid response vehicle was at the scene within 10 minutes but the back-up ambulance he called to take Tyrone, a pupil at Wyvern College, to hospital didn’t arrive until just after 7pm.

Tyrone’s mother Nicola McSweeney, 43, who works at Harnham Infant School, said: “The first responder was absolutely amazing. He even came to see how Tyrone was getting on when he got to hospital. I can’t praise him enough.

“But my son was waiting for an ambulance for an hour and a half, and even though he had pain medication, he was still in agony.

“That’s what I’m angry about.”

A spokesman for Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) said the incident is now being investigated following a complaint made by Mrs McSweeney.

A statement issued by the service said: “We are glad to hear Mrs McSweeney’s son is recovering well and we welcome her appreciation of the clinical skills and care provided by our paramedic who attended in a rapid-response vehicle.

“Our priority was to ensure the patient had rapid access to appropriate treatment and the paramedic was on scene within 10 minutes of the 999 call. Inevitably there are occasions when a back-up ambulance to transport the patient to hospital can take longer.

“We do appreciate that waiting for an ambulance in such circumstances is stressful for the patient and the people with him. However, the paramedic remained on scene throughout so the patient continued to receive clinical care.

Tyrone is now recovering at home in Sussex Road, West Harnham, and getting around on crutches.