One 999 Call Every Ten Seconds in the North West

The North West Ambulance Service answered a 999 call every ten seconds during the first 7 hours of New Year's Day.

Between midnight and 7am staff dealt with 2265 calls, 546 of which were classed as either serious or life threatening.

But bosses say they're disappointed to have had some 'inappropriate' calls, including one asking for a dog's temperature to be taken.

Derek Cartwright's North West Ambulance Service's Director of Emergency Services.

He said: "The service always expects a high increase in demand during this time; however we anticipate this surge and managed it appropriately by increasing resources."

"This included an additional 13 Rapid Response vehicles, more than 50 extra Emergency Ambulances and extra staff within the Trust's three Emergency Control Centres."

"We will continue to push the message about acting responsibly and the importance of keeping ambulances free to attend to those patients with a genuine medical need."