coming back down the M5 in the small hours of the morning last summer. been a long day, radio on, definately starting to feel tired, and i heard …ssssssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH suddenly very awake, presuming the truck had sprung and air leak. then saw a car on the other carriageway that had strayed off the road and was sliding through the gravel at the edge of the shoulder and then cartwheel up the embankment. rang 999 to report it, and gave them the marker post number. i hadn’t been paying any attention to the junction numbers, as i knew i was still miles from the M5. they said that a marker post number on it’s own was useless to them without junction numbers. wtf?? surely the local motorway police would get familar with the numbers in their regular area, same as i know them all along the newbury/swindon section of the m4?
dieseldave:
toby1234abc:
… i was speaking clearly and did not ramble on.Err… right… OK Toby.
Do you mean that you didn’t you tell them where they could buy crocodile burgers?
I was thinking recently about 999 calls and the nutters that call in, then Toby proved it 
Two incidents recently spring to mind, the first one was 2 ten year old girls messing around and saying her mum was unconscious with a piece of toast in her hand, she said they were in Leeds but called from Bridlington 
The second was two scumbags from Hull who called 999 to say their daughter had gone missing at the seaside, it turned out, they only wanted a lift home and that they didn’t even have their daughter with them. Both times they had extra police out and a helicopter in the air.
And then we get the opposite end of the police force. I found an abandoned childs cycle on my route home from the pub, it was an expensive one and had been there for about 4 hours. I took it home around 11pm and called the local police the next morning. I must have woke her up because she was the most disinterested person I have ever spoke to. She said it was not a police matter unless there was a crime involved. Had I anywhere to store it and could I put an advert in the local shops. I had already done that but wanted to see if there had been any burglary’s after a spate of sheds had being broken into. She wasn’t aware of anything and suggested I keep it a few weeks and then put it on ebay.
I did eventually find the owner, she had fallen off it and been taken to hospital, the owners last worry was her bike at the time
As not immediately life threatening I rang 101 at 5 pm recently to report a car parked so close to a central traffic island that lorries and buses had to wait to use the wrong side of the road and even small vans had to run over the island’s kerb to get through the gap. It was also causing a long tailback which was interfering with traffic flow at a set of traffic lights. This was on what is clearly signed as an “emergency route keep clear at all times”, being only about 150 - 200 yards away from the fire and ambulance stations.
After all the usual rubbish repeated three times, which apparently needed to include exactly what model of car and how old it was, I was told: " when available someone will be out to see if they can find the owner".
So I said: ’ No , just get someone along to remove it and now’.
Must admit, all the times ive ever called 999 they have been brilliant.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-19444308
This is the outcome of those two 10 year old girls. A trip out to the HQ
It depends who you ring - ambulance service fairly straightforward, police yeah quite a lot of questions. Also, why on earth do they need your number? Surely it comes up on their screen■■?
Dealing with the police can be a mixed blessing - I once stopped at an accident where a bloke had hit a bridge parapet partially made of wood. A shard of wood had pierced the windscreen, gone through the steering wheel and was about four inches from his chest (lucky bloke). No obvious injuries but I took the keys out of the ignition as he had beached the thing mud etc was up to the sills and I thought he might have ripped the fuel tank away. I mentioned it to a young copper who said “good thinking” but when his boss turned up - a two pipper- leiutenant? ( ) he bollocked me and said “that was evidence” 
Safety first eh.
Heavens forbid you should give the emergency services all the information they need…