A CHEPSTOW rugby player suffered an extended ambulance wait only a week after the town's football club had to endure the same problem.

Ian Hughes, the number eight for Chepstow Rugby Club, was left in agony for 40 minutes after an ambulance was called to the match on Saturday, February 18.

Hughes fell awkwardly four minutes into the second half and was eventually taken to hospital with damaged ligaments.

This incident happened only a week after a player involved in a match at Chepstow Football Club was also left waiting in agony for two hours after an ambulance was called.

Chepstow RFC manager John Lewis said: "Ian was in a great deal of pain and it took the ambulance 40 minutes to arrive.

"I think it is totally unacceptable and I know we are not the first team this has happened to.

"We were able to stretcher him off and keep him warm, but he was in a great deal of discomfort.

"More often than not we can cope with injuries that happen on the pitch, but sometimes, like on this occasion we need professional help.

"I know the ambulance service operates a traffic light system and obviously somebody with a heart attack will take priority, but it seems that the service is getting worse for people involved in sport matches. "We are considering having a St John's ambulance at games, so we do not have this problem again.

"I have experienced times when it has taken ten minutes for the ambulance to arrive, so I suppose it is the luck of the draw. "However, I do think the response time for an ambulance should be a mandatory 15 minutes."

A spokesperson from the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust previously said: "A patient's condition is assessed via the Trust's prioritisation system.

"We appreciate the distress and anxiety felt by both patients and bystanders when delays in response are incurred.

"We always endeavour to have an attendance with all patients at the earliest possible opportunity."

Chepstow lost the match to Tredegar Ironsides 15-3.