Police in West Yorkshire have revealed a list of "ridiculous" 999 calls which they say put lives at risk by diverting resources away from real emergencies. One person dialled 999 to report a packet of rice missing from a cupboard while another called for advice about a snoring dog.
And one woman from West Yorkshire decided she needed police help when a black cat got into her house. A police spokesman said: "These calls are so ridiculous it's astonishing."
The woman with the cat in her house spent almost two minutes telling a 999 operator she needed police assistance. Emergency operators in the county have also taken calls about a broken freezer and a dead pigeon in a garden.
Ch Insp Michael Quirk, of West Yorkshire Police's communications division, said: "Each call often takes minutes to deal with as our staff have to clarify the situation. It might not sound like much but if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency then a minute is a very long time to wait. I cannot stress enough that the 999 number is for emergencies only."
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