In a first-of-its-kind incident, a UK father called 999 because he got worried his family was under attack from sheep out for revenge after they had eaten lamb for dinner.
According to The Independent, the unnamed Yorkshireman dialed the emergency number to report sheep were "butting" his door and trying to get into his house.
The weird phone call was recorded by the Humberside Police complaining of the inconvenience of some residents calling the emergency number 999 to report silly incidents on this number dedicated for critical and serious cases only.
"The sheep are going to come in to my house and eat my kids. They are butting my door, they want in," he told the bemused operator on the other end of the line. When the baffled 999 worker asked why the sheep would want to attack his children the man responded: "I was making cottage pie earlier and that uses lamb. The sheep must have smelt it; that is all I am assuming. Obviously I have eaten their kids so they are going to eat mine."
The caller explained he only had a "blue belt" in karate and needed a police officer to come to his house to defend them. The recording was released as part of a campaign by the force to stop people making frivolous and unnecessary emergency calls.
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Among the other 999 calls highlighted was a woman concerned about how her washing machine was spinning and another who wanted the police to investigate who owned a cat which occasionally came into her garden.
Humberside Police's force control room superintendent, Tracey Bradley, said inappropriate 999 calls meant delays for people suffering genuine emergencies.
Hotter weather meant more people ringing the emergency services, she said. "Inappropriate calls to our 999 and 101 lines can have a major impact, causing delays in getting through for people that genuinely need our assistance and the 999 service. At worst, it could be the difference between life and death," he said.
"We will not risk delaying someone whose life is in danger getting through to us because someone has called 999 to report their washing machine is faulty," he added.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
