Six absurd calls received by the emergency services this year

Irresponsible 999 calls waste the time of the emergency services, who have appealed to the public to be sensible over the festive period.

From silly pranks to the downright weird - here are six ridiculous calls from 2014...

1. The scary hedgehog

"We've got a hedgehog in the backyard and we're a bit scared," said one caller, who perhaps feared the ferocious beast might eat all the slugs in the garden.

2. The dogflap debacle

It took 20 minutes for fire crews to free one unlucky Worcestershire teenager after she became stuck in a dogflap trying to get into her own home.

3. The noisy washing machine

"It sounds like someone's trying to drill into my house," said one unhappy man who didn't want to put up with his neighbour's bumpy spin cycle any longer.

4. The stolen snowman

One individual dialled 999 to report their snowman missing (nothing cures a broken heart like Aled Jones's Walking in the Air on repeat).

5. The tricksy vending machine

An enraged caller complained that a vending machine had taken their money but had refused point blank to dish out the goods.

6. The fast food fiasco

Patience is a virtue (that one man clearly lacked) when he called to complain that he was still waiting for his pizza delivery - 45 minutes after it was due.

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