INSURANCE scammers are among those being blamed for thousands of hoax calls to the emergency services across North Yorkshire.

Freedom of Information requests from fire, police and ambulance services reveal that almost 21,000 hoax calls were received between 2011 and 2014 in North Yorkshire and the North East .

The figures were released by North Yorkshire, Durham and Cleveland Police and as well as the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service, and Cleveland Fire Brigade also responded to the requests which showed there were more than 6,000 hoax calls made in 2014 alone.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service received 203 hoax calls in 2011, with 178 and 185 in 2012 and 2013, and another 169 in 2014.

The number of recorded bogus calls to North Yorkshire Police in 2012 was 659, rising to 666 the following year and to 895 in 2014. Figures were not available for 2011.

Reasons behind hoax calls included reporting fictitious crimes to defraud insurance companies as well as malicious callers falsely naming people as drink drivers or drug users.

Chief Inspector Rob Bowles, head of North Yorkshire Police’s Force Control Room, said: “The 999 system allows us to respond immediately to people who are in urgent need of our assistance or are at risk of death or serious injury.

“If our control room staff are spending time dealing with callers who are using the system inappropriately they are not free to deal with genuine emergencies, which could potentially lead to a tragic outcome. I would ask people to think carefully before dialling 999. If the inquiry does not require the immediate attendance of the emergency services, please use the non-emergency number 101. People who persistently misuse 999 face the prospect of prosecution.”

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said £200m is spent every year tackling insurance fraud.

AN ABI spokesman said: “The industry is doing everything it can and is always looking to do more to tackle fraud, not just to catch the offenders, but to dissuade potential fraudsters from committing it.”

The emergency services urged people to think twice about making a hoax call.

Tom Howard, NEAS Contact Centre manager, said: “Hoax calls waste the time of our staff, who could be spending that time helping people in genuine need, and reduce the number of ambulances we have available for emergencies.”