A rat bite, a broken toenail and a woman who wanted an escort home - these are some of the complaints that patients have called the region’s ambulance service about.

The examples have been released by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust as part of its bid to clamp down on hoax calls.

According to the ambulance trust there were 72 such calls made from Cambridgeshire between April and December last year.

The trust said the calls diverted staff away from dealing with genuine emergencies.

The trust said 35 calls were made from Suffolk while 46 were from Norfolk.

Gary Morgan, deputy director of service delivery at the trust, said: “We urge the public to remember that the ambulance service is for emergencies such as cardiac arrests, patients with chest pain and breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, strokes, trauma, choking and severe allergic reactions. It is extremely disappointing that people continue to call 999 for inappropriate reasons.”