A Norwich mum has spoken of her anguish after her four-year-old son sliced off the top of his finger in a public toilet.

Lisa Day, of Cadge Road, West Earlham, was visiting her mother-in-law in Great Yarmouth last Thursday with her six-year-old daughter Shannon Woodcock and her son Leon Woodcock. Leon had gone into the Market Gates toilets with his sister where he trapped his finger in the hinge of the toilet door. As the door closed, it severed the top section of finger.

Mrs Day rushed to the aid of her son and put his finger in her pocket while a passer-by ran to a nearby pub to collect some ice. Meanwhile, a second man tracked down a pair of paramedics, who helped stop the bleeding.

But Mrs Day was horrified to find that an ambulance would not be sent to take her and her son to the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston. She claims she was told by the ambulance service that her son was not 'a priority case'. And when she did get her son to hospital, with his finger, she was told nothing could be done and no attempt was made to sew it back on.

Mrs Day said: 'The fact that they would not even get an ambulance to my little boy is beyond me. He has been completely traumatised since it happened. He can't take part in some of the activities in his class, he is finding it difficult to interact with other children, and he can't even write.'

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: 'We were informed by the caller that only the flesh at the tip of the patient's finger had been nicked off and that bleeding had stopped. The ambulance we dispatched was stood down and the caller advised to take the patient to the walk-in centre 500 yards from the incident.

'We of course have a responsibility to ensure that life-threatening emergencies can be prioritised.'

Mrs Day added: 'What made it even worse was that we had to go to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to have a full examination because James Paget never gave him one.'

A spokesman for James Paget University Hospital said: 'We take all complaints, formal and informal, very seriously and welcome the opportunity they give us to find out where we can do better to improve the quality of the services we provide.

'We have not received a complaint on this issue but would welcome the family contacting us direct.'

Do you have a story for the Evening News? Call reporter Ben Woods on 01603 772439 or email ben.woods@archant.co.uk