A woman has received critcism online after calling the police when she found a spider in her house.
Posting the audio clip to Twitter, the West Yorkshire police wrote: “Please don’t ring 999 if there’s a spider in your house.
“This is just one example of an inappropriate call that we’ve had to our 999 emergency line.
“On average, we receive 120 calls a day to our 999 line that are not a life or death emergency. One is too many.”
In the clip, the police are heard answering the phone, to which the woman responded: “Hiya, you’re probably going to go mad at me right, but I’ve literally tried ringing everyone.”
The unnamed woman continued: “You’re my last hope. I need someone to come and get this spider out of my house. It’s absolutely massive and I’m not even joking!”
The call operator replied that the police wouldn’t be able to come and get a spider out of her house.
The police added separately that “while we understand that not everyone may appreciate an eight-legged visitor, a call like this could prevent someone in a genuine emergency receiving the support they need”.
The statement continued: “999 should only be called when there is a real danger to life or a crime is in progress. Think before you call.”
The post has received several comments condemning the woman for calling 999 over a spider.
“They should be billed for wasting time,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Should have responded and took her address, then turned up to issue her with a fine,” another wrote.
Others questioned whether the caller was an older woman. “I too am frightened of spiders but wouldn’t ring the police. Perhaps was an elderly person on their own,” one user wrote.
However, another user clarified that the woman’s voice “did not sound elderly”.
