A 96-year-old man was refused an ambulance after he broke his leg at home in Sutton.

Kenneth Fenner, who has since died of an unrelated cause, lived on his own on Dibdin Road and had a fall in his home.

An ambulance was called at 7.52pm on Monday (August 1) to tell the London Ambulance Service that Mr Fenner had injured his leg and needed assistance to get to hospital.

However following the conversation, Mr Fenner was informed by the 999 operator someone would call him back for further assessment.

Mr Fenners son-in-law Michael Keating said he could not believe what he was hearing. He said: "He could not move about and seemed to be in a lot of pain. I was shocked when moments later they called to say that he did not deserve an ambulance."

After further analysis over the phone it was agreed that an out-of-hours GP would to visit the 96-year-old, but after the GP arrived he told them to call an ambulance.

Three hours after the initial phone call, an ambulance finally arrived.

Mr Fenner was taken to Epsom and St Helier Hospital where he was treated for a broken fibula. He died on Saturday (August 6) morning.

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: "We are sorry if the patient and his family feel that the original call could have been managed differently, however, if they wish to contact our patient experiences department we would be happy to give them a more detailed explanation.

"We would like to offer our condolences to Mr Fenner’s family, and could give them a more detailed response should they wish to contact us."