A GWENT couple say they waited an hour for an ambulance for their asthmatic four year old son who was suffering increasingly severe breathing difficulties, before taking him 15 miles to hospital themselves.

Pierce Hardcastle was “drifting in and out of consciousness” on the way from his Caldicot home to the Royal Gwent, and parents Chris and Janelle feared he was dying.

Now Mr Hardcastle has lodged a complaint with the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust over what he calls “appalling” service on the afternoon of Tuesday January 12.

His wife telephoned for an ambulance at around 2.10pm after Pierce developed difficulty breathing and had coughing fits. His inhalers were not working and he was becoming more distressed.

By 2.50pm Mr Hardcastle had arrived home from work and telephoned 999 again. “I was only told that the nearest available ambulance crew would be there as soon as possible,” he said.

Twenty-five minutes later, Pierce’s condition deteriorating, they decided to take him to hospital themselves.

“He was still struggling to breathe, vomiting, and drifting in and out of consciousness. I seriously believed we were losing him,” said Mr Hardcastle.

“The first time he was like this we took him to the doctor’s and they called an ambulance on our behalf.

“If someone had told us we would be waiting a long time, we could have made the decision to take him ourselves earlier, but that did not happen.”

Pierce was found to be suffering a severe chest infection and was kept in for observation for several hours. He is now recovering at home.

An ambulance trust spokesman said it cannot comment on individual cases, but is investigating the Hardcastle’s complaint and will be contacting the family.