'999? My hamster's escaped'

POLICE have released a recording of a woman who dialled 999 to say her hamster had escaped, as they pleaded with the public today to use the service only for genuine emergencies.

South Yorkshire Police said eight out of ten of the emergency calls to its Sheffield control room did not need urgent attention – about 15,000 a month.

In one call, a woman says: "It's my hamster. It's got out of its cage. It's gone into the bathroom and it's gone down into the floorboards."

And she adds: "Is there any chance anyone could come and help me get it out?"

In another call, a man asks for help because a swarm of wasps has landed in his garden.