A DESPERATE appeal has been issued to residents reminding them only to dial 999 in an emergency.

The repeat plea comes after the East of England Ambulance Service received more than 7,000 999 calls over the weekend.

The service’s medical director, Dr John Scott, said: “We received 7,176 calls across the region during the three-day period from Friday to Sunday.

“This is despite recent appeals for people to consider first seeking guidance from NHS Direct, or their own GP, unless they have a serious injury or illness.

“We are having to reiterate our message in even stronger terms: please do not call unless there is a serious or life-threatening emergency.

“Of course people with genuine emergencies should not hesitate for a moment to call us, because that’s what we’re here for.

“However, with the number of calls seeming to increase all the time, we need people to think about whether they really need an ambulance before dialling 999.”