50,000 hoax fire calls every year

Hoax fire calls are costing millions of pounds a year, according to a new report.

The Fire and Rescue Service in England and Wales responds to about 50,000 such calls every year, or 135 per day, the study said.

With each hoax costing £1,700, that makes £230,000 a day - or £84 million a year.

The figures were published in Hoax Calls Awareness Week, an initiative coordinated by BT and supported by the Fire and Rescue Service.

The scheme aims to raise awareness of the issue, which delays response time to real emergencies - putting lives at risk.