A pensioner died after having to wait in an ambulance outside Wrexham Maelor Hospital for almost nine hours.

And three days later another patient died at the same hospital after a lengthy wait for an ambulance to arrive, followed by a delay in admission.

At the opening of two inquests in Ruthin John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he did not know the veracity of the details he had been given but there was enough to cause him concern.

Retired shopkeeper Peter Arthur Connelly, 70, of Ffordd Meirion, Fairbourne, Gwynedd, died on February 20 in the hospital’s Intensive Therapy Unit and the cause of death was given as multi-organ failure caused by acute pancreatitis.

Mr Gittins said although it was a natural causes death Mr Connelly had been admitted shortly before, having spent nine hours in an ambulance outside the emergency department.

The second inquest was into the death of Samantha Jane Brousan, 49, of Bryn y Groes, Gwespyr, Flintshire, who died in the same ITU department on February 23.

Mr Gittins said the cause of death had again been given as natural but he had been informed that Ms Brousan, a director of human resources, had had to wait for two hours for an ambulance to arrive, then another two hours to be admitted to hospital, followed by another hour before she was seen.

“I don’t know if those times are accurate,” he said.

Both inquests were adjourned to provisional dates in July.