More than 1,200 patients have been forced to wait in ambulances before being handed over to accident and emergency staff.

The figures were revealed by a Freedom of Information request to London Ambulance Service about the number of patients being kept waiting for more than 30 minutes at Barnet Hospital, in Wellhouse Lane, Barnet.

Between September 2013 and September 2014, there were a total of 1,292 cases - an average of around 107 patients kept waiting each month.

During this period, the winter months saw the most cases, with crews having to wait 304 times with patients in February and 161 times in January.

This is equivalent to around eight ambulances per day having to wait with patients.

In comparison, only 27 patients were forced to wait in November 2013, and figures show a drop in summer months with just 58 on average having to wait each month between May and August.

A spokesman for the Royal Free London NHS Trust said: “Patients arriving at the emergency department at Barnet Hospital who are in need of resuscitation are always admitted immediately to our dedicated resuscitation area.

“However ambulances transporting other patients to the emergency department at Barnet Hospital do have to wait until there is room to allow paramedics to hand care of these patients to our emergency department staff.

“However, we continue to work with London Ambulance Service to reduce waiting times for ambulances.”

In comparison, 4,798 patients were forced to wait at North Middlesex Hospital in Sterling Way, Edmonton over the year, while at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow there were 1,437 cases.

The former Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust was taken over by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in July this year.

Services at Barnet Hospital have not yet been assessed by the Care Quality Commission.