Hoax calls to Chester Fire Station more than double over year

Jan 30 2012 by Mark Dowling, Chester Chronicle

THE number of hoax calls made to Chester Fire Station more than doubled last year.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service revealed 26 deliberately malicious calls were made to the station in 2011, compared to just 12 in 2010.

The trend Across Cheshire, the number of hoax calls made dropped by 8%, from 146 in 2010 to 135 in 2011.

Barry Williams, station manager at Chester Fire Station, said the service took a dim view of those making malicious calls.

He said: “Making hoax calls is always treated as a serious crime.

“Hoax callers put the lives of people at risk because fire appliances may not be available to respond to real emergencies when needed.

“I want hoax callers to seriously think about the consequences of their actions as we work closely with the police to catch those responsible and prosecute them accordingly.

“I would also urge anyone who has information about people making hoax calls to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”