MY husband and myself have recently spent time in the Royal Bolton Hospital, and found every level of staff to be hard-working, conscientious and compassionate.

There was nothing that gave us undue concern. A friend was recently taken, with bad chest pains, late at night, to A & E, where she too felt all the above applied.

However, what did upset and anger her was the way some rowdy, rude and inconsiderate people waiting to be seen to treated the staff.

Also, she had to wait for an ambulance from Blackburn, as the local ones, she was told, were dealing with town centre people, mainly indisposed through excess drink.

Do these people never think of the possible consequences of a delayed ambulance due to their drinking habits, and do they really think it is permissable to abuse people who are trying to help patients?

Let the staff deal with genuinely ill/injured people in a calm environment, and give our hospital the chance to achieve the good status it deserves.

Mrs D M Wood Heaton