POLICE chiefs in the Pennine Division have urged people not to make 999 calls unless it is a real emergency.

Superintendent Chris Weigh told a meeting of Pendle Police Community Forum that misuse of the 999 service could lead to a genuine caller being put at risk as communications staff dealt with an overwhelming number of calls.

He said the number of 999 calls to Burnley police station was on the increase, when in many situations the local police number could have been used.

The communication room, which deals with Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, received an average of 550,999 calls every month last year.

This figure has now almost doubled with operators dealing with 996 emergency calls last month alone.

Supt Weigh said: "When we get a 999 call it is treated as an emergency and we answer it as quickly as we can.

"One big problem is silent 999 calls when people have their mobile phone keys locked and the number is rung accidentally.

"If we answer that call it means we cannot answer other calls. You can have all the technology in the world but what you really need is people to sit there answering the calls. We are throwing money at it left, right and centre to get more people but we just can't keep up with the demand.

"We need the public's help with their mobile phones and we need people to think whether the 999 call is really an emergency."

The communications room is staffed to cope with 23,000 emergency and non-emergency calls monthly.

Last month it received 38,000 calls with many calls involving trivial matters such as how to deal with a burst pipe.