Spider in bed prompts 999 call to London firefighters
London Fire Brigade revealed some of
the strangest 999 calls in a bid to cut
down on the number of non-emergency
calls they receive.
Other calls included an elderly woman
who asked for help after she threw water
at fighting dogs, forgetting her dentures
were in the glass.
The brigade said it had 100 unnecessary
calls a week in the last year.
Senior officer Dave Brown said: "Our
advice is simple - if it's not an
emergency, don't ring 999."
Firefighters were asked to help find a
mobile phone after its owner said it had
fallen down the toilet.
The control room was also asked to send
someone to retrieve a shoe stuck on a
garage roof, and a woman called 999
when she feared a fox in her garden
might bite her because it had "an odd
look on its face".
"Firefighters are here for Londoners but
we can't be on speed dial when
something trivial happens," Mr Brown
said.
"We are here to respond to real
emergencies, so if you do find a squirrel
in your kitchen or you lose your keys
down the toilet, don't dial 999."
He urged people with phobias to get
friends to help them and said if residents
found an unexpected animal in their
home they should call the RSPCA.
