A GWENT footballer has told how he lay in agony with a broken leg after an ambulance got stuck in mud.

Abercarn player Kristian Hensen broke his leg during Saturday afternoon's TSA North Gwent League Premier Division second XI match against Tredegar FC.

Kristian, 20, from Cross Keys, told the Argus he waited for 50 minutes in a great deal of pain after the ambulance got stuck on the muddy pitch.

He said: "It felt like half an hour before the first ambulance even arrived. When it finally did I didn't think I'd still be waiting there nearly an hour later.

"I've broken bones before, but this was probably the worst pain I've been in. I was shaking and in shock.

"It was very distressing. Every time they tried to force the vehicle out of the mud l would grip onto the stretcher in the back of the ambulance because the lurch would make the pain worse."

The RAC were called to free the stuck vehicle and another ambulance was despatched, but it was not until 50 minutes later that it arrived and Kristian was finally on his way to Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital.

His dad, Mark Hensen, said: "Kristian was shaking and shivering and in agony. I was worried he was going into shock.

"Time is often a crucial factor in these situations. He could have been bleeding inside and he was in great distress.

"They should have the proper equipment for all occasions so they can always do the job, and it's just not acceptable for the ambulance service to rely on a private breakdown company."

The trainee plumber and call-centre worker has had an operation to insert a metal bar into his bone, and now faces an agonising wait to see whether he can play football again.