POLICE are urging the public to keep the ‘999’ line free for emergencies - after taking calls for help with maths homework and hairs on pizza.

North Yorkshire Police is expecting demand for '999' and '101' calls in the Force Control Room to surge over the summer period and the school holidays. But, they want the public to consider whether or not their call does involve an emergency or not.

On average the force receives around 8,726 emergency calls and 12,278 non-emergency calls a month.

But, many calls are not an emergency, so the force is highlighting alternative ways to contact police for such calls including calling 101, reporting online, or in some cases, calling an entirely different but more appropriate agency or service that is not the police.

North Yorkshire Police’s Lead for Contact Management, Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, said: "We’ve already seen some of our busiest days, and months, on record and we’re expecting this summer to be even busier.

“Our staff work extremely hard to ensure that those who need help quickly receive it, but as the glorious weather continues, and tourists flock to our beautiful county for the summer holidays, we’re asking the public to help us.

“Emergency 999 calls will always take priority, and during times of increased demand, those who are calling 101 to report non-emergencies may have to wait longer, but if phone lines are busy, please bear with us and consider using our call back function.

“Alternatively, our dedicated online reporting section on our website can be accessed for non-emergencies at a time that is convenient for you 24/7, 365 days a year and your report will be treated in the same way as a 101 call."

Chief Inspector (CI), Mark Proctor, said the Force Control Room have taken inappropriate calls for the likes of help with maths homework, lost keys, hairs on a pizza, directions to hotels and birds flying into kitchen windows.

They also often receive calls for situations that other agencies will deal with, such as littering, dog fouling or highway problems. Around 20 per cent of calls made to the force are not policing issues.

CI Proctor said: "People need to consider if they are making an emergency call. These inappropriate calls are preventing us from dealing with emergencies.

"The quicker we can take emergency calls, the quicker we can deploy our officers.

"People should consider the other avenues available to them."

This year, the lines have already been busy with 9,988 emergency and 12,450 non-emergency calls taken in June and so far, this month, 6,535 emergency and 8,055 non-emergency calls have been taken.

For more information on what matters the police can deal with, visit the 'Advice and Information' page on the force’s website.