AMBULANCE chiefs have blasted a Crediton woman who dialled 999 at 3am because she had a spot on the end of her finger.

And now Westcountry Ambulance Services NHS Trust is pleading with residents in the region to only call them out for genuine emergencies.

The appeal comes after figures showed that 179 of the 493 emergency calls to the service on Christmas Day were 'inappropriate' - that's more than one in three.

Chief executive Michael Willis said people should not dial 999 for trivial reasons, so that patients who needed life-saving treatment could get help as quickly as possible.

He added: "Lives are put at risk by thoughtless use of the 999 emergency service.

"We are concerned that when an ambulance resource is at-tending a patient who has di-alled 999 inappropriately, somebody in a genuinely life threatening situation will not get the care they need as quickly.

"Crews who respond to emergency calls are put at risk, as are the public by the rapid response of an emergency vehicle."

Mr Willis, who said most calls were made with 'the best of in-tentions', highlighted the alternatives to 999 - phoning NHS Direct, visiting your GP or at-tending hospital accident and emergency departments.

"Our campaign urges you to 'Stop, Think, Before You Dial 999' as often the best advice and care you need will come from another source," said Mr Willis.

Every day the Trust's ambulances answer around 500 emergency calls in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall - and many of those should be directed to other organisations.

Other inappropriate calls to the ambulance emergency have included:

n a woman who regularly calls 999 claiming she has chest pains, to then tell ambulance crews she simply wants a hug;

n a couple who asked paramedics to fetch logs in from their shed;

n a man who said he couldn't sleep at 3pm;

n a request to turn down the central heating;

n six men who had been beaten up asked to be tidied up so they could get into a nightclub;

n a TV viewer who had lost the remote control;

n a woman with a broken fingernail.