WILTSHIRE ambulance chiefs today appealed to people to dial 999 only if it is an emergency.
And they warn that abuse of the system could put at risk the lives of people in genuine need of urgent treatment.
Every year the Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust receives more than 41,000 emergency calls from across the county.
But only a quarter of them are life-threatening and some are a waste of time.
Now the Trust has launched an appeal calling on the public not to abuse the system this winter.
"We are asking the public to use the emergency ambulance service wisely," said Chief Executive Dennis Lauder.
"Inappropriate use causes delay and threatens the lives of genuine patients in life-threatening situations.
"If members of the public have a medical need which is life-threatening or serious, then they should quite rightly dial 999.
"If not, they should consider contacting the NHS Direct 24-hour advice line, or their local chemist or pharmacy for health-related advice. If they require more than advice, then a call to the doctor may be required. But 999 is a lifeline. We ask people to use it but not abuse it."
Ambulance Controller Richard Claridge said: "In an emergency every second counts. Callers who waste our time by making inappropriate 999 calls have the potential to delay emergency ambulance responses to the genuine patients whose lives are already at risk."
A typical example of a time-wasting call to Wiltshire Ambulance Service came from someone who arranged an appointment with their doctor and then telephoned 999 for an ambulance to take them to the surgery.
Another call came from someone at a hospital who dialled 999 for an ambulance because they did not have a pen to write down the telephone number of a taxi service which they had just been given by directory inquiries.
It is the inappropriate calls like this that the service is trying to stamp out.
Wiltshire Ambulance Service is already handling an 8.7 per cent increase in calls compared to the same period last year. Since September 2001 the service has been receiving on average 156 calls a day.
From midnight onwards on New Year's Eve more staff and resources will be on duty throughout Wiltshire including nine extra vehicles, each with a crew of two.
You can call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
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