'Ridiculous' 999 recordings are released by West Midlands Police

As part of a force campaign highlighting its work, recordings of three recent calls which should never have been made to police have been revealed. Senior officers said that 48 per cent of the 700,000 telephone calls received by the force's emergency line were inappropriate.

Scroll down to listen to the 999 calls

Chief Inspector Sally Holmes: "These calls are ridiculous and it doesn't end just there. We regularly receive calls to 999 about lost property, people asking for directions and from people who have been denied entry to a nightclub.

"Its astonishing listening to them but they hide a serious truth. Each call often takes minutes to deal with as staff have to clarify the situation and it might not sound like much but, if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait.

"I cannot stress enough that the 999 number is for emergencies only, for guidance this is defined as: a crime is in progress, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. To contact police for any other reason, call 101."

Mrs Holmes said as well as bizarre hoax calls, some were also made maliciously.

She added: "As well as the bizarre calls police also receive deliberate hoax calls which take up vital time. The daft calls are bad enough, but for someone to maliciously dial 999 to take up police time, knowing they are making a false report, is unacceptable."

Live tweets from West Midlands Police control centre