Ambulance bosses have apologised to a theatre-goer, after he fell at the end of a show and had to wait for over 90 minutes to be taken to hospital.

It is understood that the injured man, believed to be in his 60s, had watched The Great American Jewish Songbook at the Radlett Centre on Sunday (6).

When the 4pm show finished after 6pm, he fell in the auditorium.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) explained: “We received a call on Sunday at 6.21pm to reports of a man who had fallen in Radlett and based on the information provided over the phone, it was coded as a serious but not life-threatening incident.

“Due to the unforeseen level in demand that day which saw us receive almost 3,700 calls region-wide, which is around 1,000 more than we would averagely receive, we were unable to get an ambulance on scene until 8pm.

“Other ambulances were dispatched but were diverted to other calls for patients who were seriously ill or in a life-threatening condition.”

The EEAST spokesman said that after receiving care for a hip injury, the man was taken to Watford General Hospital for further treatment, “where we hope he is making a strong recovery.

“We would like to apologise to the patient for the wait and any further distress this may have caused.

“We would recommend that either the patient or his family to contact us if they have any other concerns or questions.”

The centre’s manager said that he would not comment on the incident as “I don’t know any details”.

However, it is understood that because of the ambulance’s late arrival, the following performance - due to start at 7.30pm - was delayed until the injured man had been attended to.