LAST month, we reported exclusively on 10 of the strangest calls received by North Yorkshire Police's control room.

Some were from confused people, but others are from time wasters who should know better, say police, and urged people to only phone 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergency police-related matters.

Chief Inspector Mike Walker, who works in the Force Control Room, said people who misuse the 999 number could face prosecution, and urged everyone to consider whether police were needed, and whether the situation is an emergency.

He said: “Some of the calls we receive, both on 999 or 101 are not police related matters. The time spent on these calls, should be spent helping members of the community who need us most.

“Time spent dealing with callers who are using the system inappropriately, could mean a call handler is not free to deal with an emergency, potentially leading to a tragic outcome.”

Ten more of the strangest calls received by North Yorkshire Police:

 

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1) A MAN phoned 999 stating: "I gave my phone to a mate who has gone out drinking, and he has not returned with my phone. This is an emergency as I now have no phone."

                                                                           

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2) Operator: “Police Emergency.”

Caller: “There is a carrier bag blowing around on the A1.”

                                                                         

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3) Operator “Police Emergency”

Caller “I need the number for Tesco in Catterick, I can’t find it.”

(Questioning revealed the caller had already called the ambulance and fire services with the same query, and found them most unhelpful.)

                                                                         

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4) A WOMAN phoned during bad storms in early 2012 to report concerns for a goose in the field next to her house. She was concerned it might get hurt because the wind was so strong.

                                                                         

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5) A WOMAN phoned 999 to tell police she had gone to stay with family in the south of England and forgotten to put her wheelie bin out, and asked if police could do it for her.

                                                                       

York Press:

6) A CALL handler answered a 999 call to a young boy who was crying. The caller's reason for crying?

“It's my granddad, he’s making me have fish fingers for tea and I want chicken nuggets.”

                                                                          

York Press:

7) A CALLER phoned 999 to inform officers they had lost a pair of gloves. When challenged about phoning 999, their response was: “They are very expensive gloves.”

                                                                           

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8) A CALLER reported a a suspicious Tesco van in their neighbourhood. When the call handler suggested it was making a delivery, the caller responded: “People in this village don’t shop at Tesco!”

                                                                       

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9) AN ELDERLY man called police on 101 because he was unable to get a picture on his television all morning and he wanted a police officer sent down to have a look at it. He had already tried to phone the people who manage the property, but they don’t work on Wednesdays. He said the aerial might be broken as it's an old aerial, but he’d been in the property nine years and there had never been anything wrong with it until that day.

                                                                         

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10) A MAN phoned from Scarborough because he was concerned for an injured seagull. When told he should contact the RSPCA, he told the call handler he had already done so but was queuing too long on the phone and so phoned 999 instead.

                                                                             

Read ten more strange but true emergency calls HERE