London ambulances treated more people in December than any other month on record – with more than 100,000 call outs.

Figures from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) revealed that in December 2018 crews in the capital treated more than 100,000 patients- around 7,000 more than the monthly average for last year.

Paul Woodrow, the director of operations for the service, said: “Demand on our services continues to rise year on year.

“December is a particularly busy month for us due to Christmas festivities and winter illnesses and injuries.”

Mr Woodrow said planning for “increased activity” meant the LAS had been able to reach the most “seriously ill and injured” patients in less than seven minutes every day during the month.

He added: “This is a real credit to the hard work of all of our staff – including those on the frontline treating patients, those in our control rooms taking calls and sending ambulances and also those working behind the scenes.”

The LAS’s second busiest month on record was December 2018 when crews saw slightly more than 99,000 patients, followed by December 2017 when it treated just shy of 98,000.