With Christmas and New Year approaching, West Midlands Police are appealing to 999 callers to consider seriously whether they are reporting a genuine emergency before they dial.

Preparing for a seasonal peak in emergency calls, the force are reminding people of the number to call for non-emergencies and make clear the definition of an emergency and non-emergency call.

West Midlands Police call operators receive up to 2000 emergency calls a day. Over 55 per cent of these calls are misguided, hoaxes or simply not emergencies.

Recent examples of non emergency calls made to the 999 service range from, a caller who can’t hear the television due to a car engine revving outside, and, a caller reporting a hedgehog with his/her head stuck in an empty pot noodle container.

Other examples, include, a woman who called 999 to complain that her partner is taking too long buying her cigarettes.

Superintendent Angela Booton, head of Operational Communications, said: “The communications department receive calls like this all the time. Over fifty per cent of calls received by the police are not appropriate. This is a vital emergency service for the public and any misuse could have serious consequences.

Slightly but Surrey police have introduced a scheme where PCSO's are to hand out lollipops to people at closing time, so they suck on them instead of shouting their mouths off, getting in to fights as a result..

Then they will argue over who got the raspberry flavour.

Ha ha ha ha

I am rather partial to pot noodles- especially the sweet and sour

so I find this particularly disturbing

I hope the RSPCA came out on blues and twos