AUDIO: Caller from Peterborough area rings 999 to report dead squirrel as ambulance service highlights hoax calls

A drowning goldfish, an injured cat, a dead squirrel and a drunk man wanting a taxi sound like elements from a dark comedy, but they are the latest '˜emergency' calls received by the region's ambulance service so far this summer.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Aug 2016, 16:54 BST
Updated 8th Aug 2016, 12:20 BST

New figures today reveal that the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) received 1,144 hoax calls over the last two years, which diverted time away from genuine emergencies.

As part of the It’s Your Call campaign, service bosses are highlighting the calls like these to make people think twice about calling 999:

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A man asking for an “animal ambulance” for a critically injured squirrel in the Peterborough area. This comes after the Trust received a similar call about a dead squirrel in Essex last year.

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The trust has also received calls about:

* A drunk man outside an Essex nightclub who wanted a taxi

* A woman calling about a cat with a broken leg in north Cambridgeshire

* A child who called 999 and told a call handler in Chelmsford that their goldfish was “drowning”

* A call to an unconscious man in Bedford who turned out to be snoring in the back of a taxi.

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Gary Morgan, Head of Emergency Operations Centres (EOC), said: “Just because 999 is an easy to remember number does not mean it is acceptable for people to misuse it or treat it as a telephone directory.

“Hoax and inappropriate 999 calls have the potential to divert attention away from real emergencies and we will refer people who misuse the service to our police colleagues to take action.

“We’d urge the public to remember that the ambulance service is for emergencies such as cardiac arrests, patients with chest pain and breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, strokes, trauma, choking and severe allergic reactions.”

The Trust launched It’s Your Call campaign last year, which aims to inform people and educate others on how 999 calls are handled and prioritised so that in the event of a medical problem, they feel better equipped to know what to do.

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County breakdown of number of hoax calls to EEAST from April 2014 to March 2016:

Bedfordshire – 151

Cambridgeshire – 190

Essex – 320

Hertfordshire – 156

Norfolk – 174

Suffolk – 153

more about the ​​East of England Ambulance​ Service​‘s ‘It’s your call’ campaign

Related topics:NHS TrustPeterboroughCambridgeshireEssex