AMBULANCE response times to life-threatening emergency calls have fallen significantly in almost all areas of Gwent, new figures reveal.

The latest Assembly statistics show that from September to November 2007 the percentage of ambulances arriving at the scene of life-threatening emergency calls within eight minutes fell in all Gwent areas except Blaenau Gwent.

Monmouthshire again has the worst emergency response time out of any local authority area in the whole of Wales, with only 40.9 per cent of ambulances arriving within eight minutes against an Assembly target of 60 per cent.

Caerphilly dropped from 58.1 per cent in September to 55.9 per cent in November, Torfaen from 60.7 per cent 53.3 per cent, and Newport from 58.6 per cent to 51.5 per cent.

Only Blaenau Gwent has improved, with 62.8 per cent of ambulances there arriving at the scene of an emergency in eight minutes in November compared to 60.7 per cent in September, making it the only Gwent authority above the Assembly target.

Across Wales response times have been steadily dropping since a high in April 2007.

Conservative AM for South Wales East William Graham said: "People living in South Wales East deserve an ambulance service which meets their requirements, not a service which is clearly the worst in Wales".

"These figures are not a reflection upon our ambulance crews and paramedics, the responsibility lies with an Assembly that fails to ensure efficient investment in NHS services".

As Assembly spokesman called the figures "disappointing".

The spokesman said the Welsh Ambulance Service has produced action plans for all under performing areas and the Assembly will monitor progress carefully.

He added that a modernisation plan including more than £77 million for new state-of-the-art vehicles and a digital communication network, along with new targets for response times and hand-overs at hospital A&Es would see the situation improve over time.