A Bradford businessman endured an agonising hour-long wait for an emergency ambulance after falling seven feet from a fence and sustaining serious injuries.

William Patchett, 43, who owns AWP Construction and Surfacing and Groundforce Builders Merchants in Shipley, was attempting to climb a fence at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Batley, on Thursday lunchtime, when he slipped and fell.

Mr Patchett, of Thornton, had gone to check on staff who were laying rubber flooring in the playground of the school. A caretaker had locked a gate, which prevented Mr Patchett from leaving.

One of his employees went to fetch the caretaker, but in the meantime Mr Patchett attempted to scale the palisade security fencing. His foot slipped and he fell, badly gashing his right hand. He landed heel first and shattered the bones in his right ankle, which was bleeding heavily.

A passer-by called 999, as did Mr Patchett’s employees, a police officer who was on the school site and also a priest from the nearby St Mary’s Church.

But despite so many calls stressing the urgency of the situation, it is claimed it took 50 minutes for a rapid response paramedic to arrive in a car. She assessed Mr Patchett, but was unable to give any pain relief until an ambulance arrived ten minutes later.

Mr Patchett was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, where he had surgery yesterday to put a metal frame around his ankle and plastic surgery on his hand.

Mr Patchett’s wife, Allison, 40, said she was disgusted with the response of the ambulance service. After speaking to the company’s employees, who were at the scene of the accident, she said: “There was blood everywhere, he was shaking and slipping in and out of consciousness. It should take no longer than ten to 15 minutes after a 999 call for an ambulance to turn up. If the police can’t even get an ambulance, who can?

“He was on a wet floor and no one could move him until the paramedics came. People were coming with quilts and blankets and putting them over him.”

Mrs Patchett said that when the first paramedic to arrive was asked why it had taken so long to get there, she said she had only just been told about the incident.

“I think they thought she could patch him up and send him on his way,” added Mrs Patchett.

She went to Pinderfields with the couple’s children, 20-year-old Luke and 15-year-old Rebecca.

She said: “He could have lost his leg because of the delay. Doctors said because it was an open fracture it was more prone to infection.”

David Williams, acting director of operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “We would like to offer our sincere apologies to the patient and his family for any distress caused.

“We have been speaking to the family directly about their concerns and will be looking into this on their behalf. The Trust aims to provide a responsive, high-quality service to the people of Yorkshire and patient care remains our main priority at all times.”