WHAT do a locked door, a lack of taxi fare and a dropped burger have in common? They all prompted “emergency” 999 calls.

The East of England Ambulance Service has launched a “right call” campaign to cut inappropriate 999 calls after receiving 1,248 hoax calls over the past two years.

Examples of the most inappropriate calls the trust’s emergency operations centres have received so far this year include:

  • “I’ve gone out shopping and locked myself out of my house,” - Shoebury woman needing emergency locksmiths.
  • “I’ve dropped my burger and it is bleeding,” – Basildon caller has take-away accident.
  • “I need to go to hospital and I don’t get paid until tomorrow,” – Benfleet man calls 999 for a free taxi service.
  • “I’ve eaten too much take-away food,” – a Chelmsford woman feeling a bit sick after a day of indulgence.

The trust receives on average around 2,500 calls a day, but not all of them are life-threatening or require emergency care.

Ambulance bosses are also advising the public that such inappropriate or prank calls could divert ambulance resources from genuine emergencies, such as cardiac arrests, strokes and patients with breathing difficulties.

Over the last two years, the trust has received 1,248 hoax calls and front-line crews have attended almost half of those, believing them to be genuine emergencies, according to new figures.

Gary Morgan, regional head of emergency operations centres, said: “We’re an emergency service and our front-line staff are trained to save lives.

“However, sadly, some of the calls we receive are not even medical related and we will refer hoax calls to the police.

“We prioritise all life-threatening calls to get the quickest possible response. However, that response can be affected if our call handlers and front-line staff are dealing with inappropriate 999 calls.

“We would strongly urge people who think it is funny to make a prank call to stop and think about the potential consequences.”