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Bizarre 999 calls could cost lives

NEAS issue warning during busiest time of the year.

A man who had glued five plastic cups to his head was among the more bizarre requests for an ambulance over the last 12-months in the North East.

A woman also called 999 because she had the hiccups, while a pet owner dialled 999 because their rabbit had a sore leg.

Another caller requested help because a contact lense had got stuck on their eye.

NEAS is reminding the public at this busy time of year that the 999 service is for genuine emergencies, where life may be in danger.

A NEAS spokeswoman said: "All 999 calls are treated as an emergency, That means a call taker has to go through a series of questions to establish the facts of an incident.

"Handling requests which are clearly not an emergency means a call handler is tied up, when they could be despatching an ambulance to someone genuinely in need."