Warm weather sees 999 calls exceed New Year's Eve

The recent warm weather has seen daily 999 calls spike, presenting police with a significant challenge to keep up with demand, said Supt Nick Church

More people called 999 during the first two weeks of July than on New Year's Eve, a police force has said.

Cambridgeshire Police said it expected call volumes to go up in the summer, but not to exceed one of its busiest days of the year.

There was a 12% increase in calls to its emergency number compared to the same period in June and the force has urged people to use its online reporting system if possible.

"It's a common misconception that reports made online won't be dealt with efficiently, but that's simply not the case," said Supt Nick Church.

"Every report we receive, whether it's made online or via 101, will be reviewed and processed by a specially trained member of our team," he added.

Supt Church said Cambridgeshire Police had received a daily average of 497 calls to 999 since the beginning of July - almost 100 more calls every day than it received in April.

"As a result, we're asking for the public's support to help ensure our services remain accessible to those in critical need," he said.

"If it's not an immediate threat to life, a crime in progress, or a situation involving violence, please refrain from calling 999, and in a non-emergency, please use our online services if you can."

Cambridgeshire Police's non-emergency contact details can be found here.