After receiving a large amount of non emergency calls, British police have requested people to call 999 only for dangerous emergency calls in dire situations. The decision came after police in England's West Midlands region had a called that complained of not hearing the television due to a car's noise outside.

According to Sky News, the 999 calls - Britain's equivalent of 911 calls in the United States and Canada - is onstantly flooded with useless and time wasting calls.

Recounting the calls, Superintendent Angela Booton of West Midlands Police said one caller complained that her partner was taking too long to buy cigarettes while yet another person called to report a hedgehog got its head stuck in a cardboard soup container.

"Over 50 percent of calls received by the police are not appropriate," Booton said.

She continued, "This is a vital emergency service for the public and any misuse could have serious consequences," adding misusing 999 "can and does cost lives."