A rat bite, a broken toe nail and a woman who wanted an escort home are just the latest ‘emergency’ calls received by the region’s ambulance service.

New figures today revealed that the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) received 72 hoax calls in Cambridgeshire between April and December last year.

The 72 calls in the county made up part of the 312 calls the service received throughout last year, which included a woman who needed to be escorted home to breastfeed as there was too much traffic, a man who had broken his toe nail and a man who had been bitten by a rat.

Gary Morgan, deputy director of service delivery, said: “It is extremely disappointing that people continue to call 999 for inappropriate reasons as these 999 calls have the potential to divert attention away from real emergencies.

“We’d urge the public to remember that the ambulance service is for emergencies such as cardiac arrests, patients with chest pain and breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, strokes, trauma, choking and severe allergic reactions.

“Please consider the use of other services such as your local pharmacy, GP or by calling 111 if it isn’t an emergency”.

The trust launched ‘It’s Your Call’ campaign two years ago, which aims to inform people and educate others on how 999 calls are handled and prioritised.

For more information, visit www.eastamb.nhs.uk/your-service/campaigns/its-your-call.html.