CHILDREN as young as 10 could face police prosecution and a criminal record if they are caught making hoax calls to the fire service. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched a zero-tolerance policy towards hoax callers, who jeopardise lives an

CHILDREN as young as 10 could face police prosecution and a criminal record if they are caught making hoax calls to the fire service.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched a zero-tolerance policy towards hoax callers, who jeopardise lives and cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds.

The tough new stance follows more than 250 hoax calls to 999 operators this year so far.

The fire service automatically records all emergency calls and works with mobile phone providers to trace and disconnect phones used to make prank calls.

The move to reduce the age for prosecution follows the decision to review service protocols for dealing with 999 calls, which hadn't been updated since the 1990s.