A man who dialled 999 because his biscuits were “out of date” is one of more than 25,000 hoax calls that interfere with the emergency services.

One man called to find out the time.

And a woman rang to complain that a chip shop had sent her three sausages instead of one.

London’s Metropolitan Police said lives were potentially put at risk by the 25,448 hoax calls it received between 1 January and 30 November 2019.

Chief Superintendent David Jackson said: “Although these calls can be perceived as amusing, they are actually a huge waste of the Met’s resources.

“These hoax calls block the number from other members of the public who could be calling 999 in a real emergency, keeping people in danger waiting for longer and putting lives at risk.

“If you are in a situation where you need to speak to the police, please think; the use of the 999 system is for emergencies only and we have other channels where you can speak with us.”

For non-emergency calls, people are urged to call 101.

In total, the Met said it had received more than 2.1 million calls from the start of 2019 until 20 November.

http://news.met.police.uk/videos/999-montage-47454