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A critical incident declared by the Welsh Ambulance Service last week has been stood down.

The critical incident was declared on Friday June 26 following an unprecedented surge in emergency calls.

A high number of 999 calls were outstanding, including cases involving patients with serious and life-threatening conditions.

The service linked the crisis to the hot weather, which caused increased pressure across the the NHS in south Wales.

But, following a gradual reduction in demand, the incident was stood down at 10.21am on Monday June 29.

The service described it as “one of the busiest periods of sustained pressure the Welsh Ambulance Service has experienced in recent years, with demand well in excess of normal levels”.

Judith Bryce, assistant director of operations, said: “Although we have now stood down the critical incident, there is still significant pressure and demand for our services.

“Accordingly, we would encourage people to only call 999 if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency.

“People contacting us with less serious conditions are still likely to experience longer waits and we would encourage them to consider alternatives to 999.”