Essex woman, 81, dies in her home almost four hours after calling an ambulance

An 81-year-old woman died in her home after waiting almost four hours for an ambulance.

She had called 999 complaining of chest pains, according to a union.

When paramedics arrived hours later, they had to break into her property in Clacton, Essex.

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) said crews arrived three hours and 45 minutes after the initial call.

Dave Powell, regional officer for GMB, said the paramedics were "devastated" after the incident on Tuesday.

He added: "They're devastated because they're not in the job to find people dead, they're in the job to help people and keep them alive."

EEAST previously said it has had to rely on taxis to take patients to hospital after struggling to cope with a surge in demand over the holiday period.

A statement on January 2 said the service received more than 4,100 calls on December 31 and around 4,800 on January 1, compared to an average daily volume of 3,000 calls a day.

Matt Broad, deputy director of service delivery, said on Thursday: "The Trust, as well as the wider NHS, is still experiencing incredibly high demand and is under extreme pressure."

NHS England has urged people to stock up on medicines, check on vulnerable or elderly neighbours and get the flu jabs amid winter conditions.