A SERIOUSLY ill man waited over an hour for medical help after paramedics battled through miles of traffic when a Hampshire cricket match was abandoned.

Motorists sat in traffic for nearly three hours after cricket officials abandoned one of the highlights of the county cricket season moments before it started despite hours of heavy rain beforehand.

Now a leading councillor said he will be demanding answers over how this could happen one week after traffic chaos occurred after a Rod Stewart concert.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo the match was called off just 45 minutes before the first ball.

Anger boiled while stewards allowed “hundreds and hundreds” of cars out of the stadium first, before letting people turn off Tollbar Way onto the Botley Road.

As news began to trickle through that the Hampshire v Sussex game was called off cars queued “bumper to bumper”.

Motorist Nick Stuttle said he was sat in his car on Tollbar Way seeing the ambulance try to get through the traffic to Botley Road where the man lay on the roadside.

“It was the fact that a man required urgent medical assistance, that’s what gets me.

“It took 22 minutes to get from one roundabout to the next. It was absolutely ridiculous.”

Once Mr Stuttle had turned onto Botley Road 45 minutes later he saw the patient being loaded onto an ambulance.

“It just makes me livid that some old person needed medical treatment. The Ageas Bowl should pay for an ambulance to be on standby at the ground and not let one try to get through traffic.

“I feel sorry for him and I don’t even know him.”

West End councillor Bruce Tennent for Eastleigh Borough Council said he was not informed of any problems but would ask for more information.

He said: “It looks like within the space of two Fridays we’ve had traffic issues. I’m still waiting to hear about an autopsy regarding last Friday night’s concert.”

A spokesman for the Ageas Bowl said they were not aware of any traffic issues on Friday night and said fans could exchange tickets for another fixture.

They said: “Following the abandonment of Friday’s NatWest T20 Blast fixture between Hampshire and Sussex Sharks at the Ageas Bowl the England and Wales Cricket Board have commented, confirming there was no negligence involved and that Hampshire Cricket’s groundstaff did everything that could have been expected of them.”

No one from South Central Ambulance Service was available for comment.