Record number of 999 calls to ambulance service - but too many are not really emergencies

Ambulance crews in the region dealt with a record number of calls in January - but too many of them were for non-emergencies.

The East of England Ambulance Service has thanked staff and volunteers for their work after more than 80,000 people dialled 999 - making it the trust's busiest-ever month.

The biggest increases in demand were in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, which both recorded 16% more calls compared with January 2015.

But Gary Morgan, head of emergency operation centres at the ambulance trust, said the majority of those patients had not needed an emergency response.

Despite the high number of calls, the ambulance trust said it had managed to reach more people in need of emergency care within its eight-minute target - although its chief executive admitted further improvement was needed.