Biggleswade man’s anger at 999 response

Peter Biernis was fishing by the River Ivel at Biggleswade Common on Boxing Day when he was hit by a piece of lead shot.

The object flew off the end of the 51-year-old’s fishing line after he tried to free it from the river bank where it had become stuck.

But when his daughter Natasha dialled 999 Peter, of Boothey Close, claims that the operator told her that an ambulance would not be sent as the injury was not life-threatening.

He said: “I could not see out of my left eye and there was a lot of blood, but I managed to call my daughter and arranged to meet her at the Dan Albone car park.

“She dialled 999 but after speaking to the operator she drove me to Bedford Hospital instead.”

He added: “I don’t know whether they didn’t have as many staff on duty as normal but it was a significant injury.”

But East of England Ambulance Service spokesman Gary Sanderson confirmed that an ambulance attended immediately.

He said: “At no time did we refuse to send a response vehicle.

“We were alerted at 4.11pm to a report of an eye injury.

“This call was triaged and it was graded as a non life-threatening call with a call back from a clinician in our control room within 60 minutes.”

“An ambulance was dispatched and arrived at the scene at 4.13pm.”

He added: “While en route to the call, the call handler was informed by the woman who made the call that she would convey the patient herself to hospital by car, which she did.

“There were also no issues relating to a lack of staff on this day.”