The Ambulance service in Shropshire is facing an unprecedented 85 per cent increase in emergency 999 calls in less than two years.

The number of monthly category A calls for life-threatening emergencies has risen from about 700 to 1,300 per month, putting the service under increased strain.

Many callers are using the service incorrectly, asking for ambulances in non-emergencies.

One woman even called out an ambulance so that crews could get her washing in because it was snowy and she feared she might slip on her path.

Today Divisional Commander for Shropshire Malcolm Price said: “The ambulance service is attending more life-threatening emergency 999 calls in the Shropshire area than ever before. Figures show emergency calls to West Midlands Ambulance Service from Shropshire have increased dramatically over the last two years, particularly potentially life threatening calls (category A) that require an immediate response.”

Mr Price, who is also a responding paramedic, praised staff.

He said: “The statistics show that the Ambulance Service Trust actually attended more category A 999 calls in October 2009 in less than eight minutes than the ambulance service actually received in total for October 2007 – this is an astonishing achievement by all staff in the area.

“The trust also gets calls from those who turn to us, knowing it’s not life-threatening, but we will still get to them quickly. Recent cases involved an ambulance crew being called to an emergency at an address, to find an elderly woman who wanted someone to get her washing in as she couldn’t get to it because of the snow.”

Meanwhile, new statistics show the service has improved its performance despite moving its emergency call centre from Shropshire to Merry Hill, near Dudley.

The move prompted protests but figures show that from August to November 2007, when the centre was in Shropshire, ambulances attended 68.15 per cent of category A 999 calls within eight minutes. In the same period in 2009, the figure rose to 73.3 per cent.

By Andy Richardson