A woman in Essex called 999 to ask for help cleaning her toilet, the ambulance service has revealed.

A second woman from the county also called for an ambulance to help her with a critically ill cat found on her property.

The East of England Ambulance Service has revealed the list of most ridiculous calls it has received to remind people to only call 999 in an emergency.

Call handlers are also subjected to verbal abuse, with one being sworn at 15 times during a four-minute call.

Gary Morgan, regional head of emergency operations centres, said: “People often call us in times of distress and deep despair, but that is no excuse for the kind of language we receive from some callers. It is very important that callers listen to the questions they are being asked and answer them clearly, so that we can help them as quickly as possible.”

He added: “It is extremely disappointing that people continue to call 999 for inappropriate reasons. We’d urge them to think twice about calling the emergency ambulance service if it is not a life-threatening or serious medical emergency. We want to help people, and that’s what we’re here to do – but every call we get that isn’t a genuine problem for us is a call which takes away from someone who needs help fast.”