HOAX calls to the emergency services have increased over the last few weeks in the Malvern area.

Police have answered 64 nuisance calls since the end of July made by people from Malvern, including a 14-year-old girl who was tracked making fake calls from a call box.

Police spokesman Vicki Davies said culprits believe it is nothing more than a game.

"But for the emergency services it could mean the difference between life and death," she said.

"Some of these calls are down to kids getting hold of the phone and dialling 999 because it's the only number they know but quite a lot have been from teenagers in call boxes.

"This girl has undoubtedly learnt her lesson and I hope other children will learn from her experience," she said.

Alec Taylor, operational services manager for Hereford and Worcester Ambulance NHS Trust, said they had noticed an increase in hoax calls over the last few weeks.

"In fact we had four last night," he said on Monday.

"Whether this is because youngsters have mobile phones now I'm not sure but what it does mean is that we have to respond with a vehicle," said Mr Taylor.

"I'd say to the culprits that they need to think again because it could be a member of their own family who needs that ambulance desperately," he added.

Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade is regularly called out by malicious callers according to spokesman Alec Mackie.

"But we don't get as many as we used to because the telecommunications technology has moved on apace and it is now far easier for our control staff to track malicious callers and alert the police," he said.

"But we do have to turn-out if it's not readily apparent that it is a malicious call and while we're out answering that call we could get something for real which means crews being called out from somewhere else and that causes delays," he added.