ALMOST 180 emergency calls made to the Westcountry ambulance service on Christmas Day were unnecessary. The service received 493 calls in total.

Staff at ambulance control have pleaded with people to remember that ambulances are for emergency purposes only and no-one should dial 999 without good reason, such as a patient needing life-saving treastment.

A breakdown of the unnecessary calls has not been made available. They were from across three counties, but many came from Cornwall.

Ambulance staff hope people will not make the same mistake over the New Year period.