Bystanders were left appalled at a two-hour delay sending paramedics to a pensioner who fell only yards from an ambulance station.

One person at the scene claimed paramedics did not come for 150 minutes as the 83-year-old woman lay on the ground outside Keighley Leisure Centre.

Keighley MP John Grogan said the “dreadful” incident highlighted the enormous pressure faced by an NHS in the grip of a funding crisis.

The bystander, who refused to be named, claimed several calls were made to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to speed up the response to the incident on Monday lunchtime last week.

He said the situation was worse because the ambulance station could be seen from Victoria Park, and several ambulances sped past on their way to other calls during the woman’s ordeal.

The incident began at about noon when the woman fell outside the entrance to the leisure centre and swimming pool.

The man said first aiders did not want to move the woman because they feared she had broken her hip.

He said: “She was on a cold surface.

“They couldn’t put anything under her because she might have been injured.

“They put space blankets over her.”

The man said that each time ambulance control was called, call handlers simply asked whether the patient’s situation had changed.

He added: “People were fuming. They were frustrated because the ambulance station is just over the road. Four ambulances went out with sirens flashing but none of them came to us.”

Keighley MP John Grogan said the “dreadful episode” showed the enormous pressure the NHS was under despite the heroic efforts of its staff.

He added: “When you are 83 and you have a fall after a lifetime of contributing taxes to the country it seems reasonable to expect that an ambulance will turn up in good time to take you to hospital.

“This week I have joined a group of nearly 100 MPs who are calling for a cross-party agreement to come up with an answer for the funding crisis in the NHS and Social Care.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust this week apologised for any distress caused by its response to the incident.

A spokesman said: “The call was received during a particularly busy period and we were doing our best to respond as quickly as possible to all patients who needed our assistance.

“We would encourage the patient or their family to contact our Patient Relations department on 0345 1220535 should they wish to discuss their concerns.”

One member of the ambulance service, who did not want to be named, said that crews faced a host of pressures despite a recent increase in the number of paramedics.

He said that often there were less ambulances than crews, due to some being off the road for repairs or still in use by crews from the previous shift.

Bradford Council confirmed its staff gave first aid to the woman, helped keep her warm and stayed with her while they waited for the ambulance.