A STUDENT took a blood-soaked pensioner to a Kent city hospital after a 30-minute wait for an ambulance.

Canterbury College student Nick Lingham, 17, found 87-year-old Tom Gilmore lying by the road in Spring Lane, Canterbury, at 11pm on Monday and immediately phoned for an ambulance.

After two more calls he was told an ambulance destined for him had been diverted to a higher priority emergency.

Nearly 40 minutes after finding Mr Gilmore, Nick cancelled the ambulance and phoned a friend to drive them both to Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

Nick, of Barton Road, Canterbury, said: "The man was obviously in distress. His leg was bleeding badly and there was blood running all over the pavement.

"It seemed that the ambulance was taking forever to arrive. This is the first time I have had to call 999 and it has been a real let down."

An ambulance service spokeswoman said: "The service prioritises its calls based on the information provided by the 999 caller.

"Unfortunately, due to high demand at this time, the ambulance was diverted to a higher priority emergency."

Kent and Canterbury Hospital confirmed that Mr Gilmore was in a stable condition on Wednesday.