London Ambulance Service said Boxing Day was 'one of their busiest ever days'

LAS said 'demand for our services has risen sharply over the past weeks'. Credit: PA

London Ambulance Service (LAS) has said that Boxing Day was "one of their busiest ever days", as the number of coronavirus patients receiving hospital treatment in the south of England heads towards the April peak.Paramedics in the capital are taking up to 8,000 999 calls a day - compared to 5,500 on a typical 'busy' day.

In a statement, LAS said "demand for our services has risen sharply over the past weeks", as coronavirus cases surge due to the prominence of a new Covid variant.

The 7,918 calls received by London Ambulance Service (LAS) on December 26 was up more than 2,500 on the 5,217 received on the same day last year, and medics are receiving support from other ambulance services in the South.

And hospitals have seen “a real rise in pressure” in Tier 4 areas including London and the south of England in the past days, NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said.

Speaking on the BBC, she said: “We’re seeing a real rise in the pressure for hospital services, but also other types of NHS services as well… ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services.

“Part of the issue is many more people coming through the door with Covid, but also people coming through the door with other conditions as well.”

She added: “We’re seeing real pressure particularly in London and the South, and that comes from this added demand, but also staff absence.

“It’s localised at the moment, but we could see that growing, and I think it’s really important to remember that what’s going on in the community is also going on in healthcare settings.”

Ms Cordery said the spread of coronavirus among communities “impacts hugely” on staffing levels across the NHS.

According to the Government’s Covid dashboard, there were 21,286 people in hospital with coronavirus across the UK on December 22, which is the last day for which data is available.

This is slightly less than the 21,683 patients recorded on April 12.

Infection rates in England are currently highest in areas of Essex, London and other parts of the South East.

Brentwood in Essex has the highest rate in England, with 1,111 new cases recorded in the seven days to December 23 – the equivalent of 1,442.5 cases per 100,000 people.

The area is in Tier 4 of Covid-19 restrictions along with most of the south of the country, with socialising banned and people told to stay home.

A review which will decide whether more areas will be moved into the harshest tier is expected on December 30, as the new highly infectious variant of coronavirus spreads across the UK and the world.

Cases of the variant infection have been identified in more than a dozen countries with the latest reported in Norway, Madeira and Jordan.People are being urged to not socialise over New Year in an attempt to “curb the spread” of the virus.

Ms Cordery, who leads the group which represents NHS trusts in England, said people “should be under no illusions that this is one of the most challenging times for the NHS”.

“It is vital that everyone heeds the new rules and restrictions in the run-up to the New Year and beyond.”

It comes as the UK recorded an additional 316 coronavirus deaths and 30,501 people tested positive for the virus.

The latest data from the Department of Health confirmed the UK coronavirus death toll has risen to 70,752.