A MAN who swore 15 times in four minutes at a 999 call handler has been highlighted as an example of verbal abuse suffered by ambulance staff.

The East of England Ambulance Service has released audio of a Corringham man, who had called about a genuine medical emergency.

But he directed a barrage of offensive language at the call handler whilst she tried to establish the exact location of the incident.

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.”

listen to ‘East of England Ambulance Service talk about Abusive call to ambulance service’ on Audioboom

The service has also reminded people to treat 999 respectfully in a bid to prevent callers ringing up for inappropriate reasons.

Calls received from Essex in the last eight months have included a woman who found a critically-ill cat on her property and a woman who asked for help cleaning her toilet.

Mr Morgan said: “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.”