AN investigation has been launched after a seriously injured man was forced to rely on his friends to keep him alive during a frantic two-hour wait for an ambulance.

James Hodgin suffered potentially life-threatening injuries as he walked home in Ireshopeburn, in Weardale after plunging down an embankment and being stabbed by a spike in the ground, in the early hours of Monday.

Ireshopeburn, in Weardale, where a seriously injured man waited two hours for an ambulance

Despite two calls 30 minutes apart to raise the alarm about the severity of the situation, an ambulance arrived at 3.57am, exactly two hours after the first call was made.

The North-East Ambulance Service has launched an investigation and has apologised for the distress it caused.

Mr Hodgin’s friend Jonathan Fairless called for an ambulance after realising he had a puncture wound to his chest, was bleeding heavily and struggling to breathe.

Following advice from 999 staff, his other friend at the scene Luke Blackett was ordered to put pressure on the wound to help him breathe.

The pair, who had no first aid training, said although there was a street light, it was dark and they were very worried about the condition of their friend and when help would arrive.

Having waited more than 30 minutes and becoming increasingly more concerned, Mr Fairless called again to check on the whereabouts of the ambulance.

When help finally arrived, Mr Hodgin was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, where he is being treated for a collapsed lung and scratched liver.

“I was beginning to get a bit scared after a while,” said Mr Blackett. “We were not qualified to help. We were told to apply pressure and that was helping him breathe as it stopped the air coming out of his chest.

“It looked really serious and we really needed someone to help us. We didn’t know what might happen.”

John Shuttleworth, Durham County councillor for Weardale, said: “It is just not acceptable. If it wasn’t for his friends this lad could have died. I have seen one of their jackets and it is covered in blood

“The ambulance came from Prudhoe. There is an ambulance station just five minutes away. There should always be an ambulance in the area 24/7. People living here deserve this service like anybody else. They are gambling with rural lives.

“There only seems to be anything done when there is an incident like this. There should be no excuses about a lack of paramedics. You can get anything you want if you pay for it.

“The paramedics and the staff manning the phones are fantastic, it is not their fault, It’s the people who make the decisions out of the area who are too blame.”

A spokeswoman for the North-East Ambulance Service said: “We are already aware of this incident and have begun an internal review to identify if there were any opportunities missed in reaching the patient.

“The period during which this incident occurred was particularly busy and at this stage we would like to apologise for the distress this caused the patient and the others at the scene.

“We are extremely grateful to the off-duty paramedic who was called to support the patient at the scene during their wait.

“If the patient would like to make a formal complaint we will be happy to feedback the circumstances surrounding our response directly.”