MINDLESS idiots are still putting people's lives at risk.

This is the message from the emergency services in Dorset who say malicious or hoax 999 calls are diverting units away from real emergencies.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, Dorset Police, South West Ambulance Service and the coastguards have told the Echo hoax callers are simply "irresponsible".

Dorset Police said they have recorded around 1,000 hoax calls in the last two financial years.

Examples include a young girl who said her mum wouldn't let her go out and called 999 for help, drunks calling for a lift home and people calling and then hanging up.

Chief Inspector Steve White, who is head of the control room which deals with 999 calls, said to hoax callers: "Don't waste our time. A large amount of our valuable time is wasted dealing with these unnecessary reports and there is a tragic knock-on effect with people wanting to speak to us about a genuine emergency potentially getting a poor service."

He warned people abusing the system they could face an £80 on-the-spot fine or prosecution.

The fire service said they received 370 malicious or hoax calls in Dorset last year and attended 175 of these - around 47 per cent.

Roy Pinder, prevention policy manager for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, said the service uses a policy which enables control room officers to challenge a caller if they believe it to be a hoax and make the decision not to send an emergency vehicle.

He said hoax calls have reduced since the policy was introduced in 2000 when the service received 562 malicious calls and attended 538 of them - 96 per cent.

Mr Pinder added: "We can't be in two places at once. If we are on a malicious call or attend a call which turns out to be malicious and a real fire occurs, that person will have to wait for the fire unit to arrive.

"People are still putting someone else's life at risk through malicious or hoax calls."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Portland Coastguards, who cover the coastline from Exmouth to Chewton Bunny, near Christchurch, receive emergency calls via 999 calls or through the VHF mayday distress call.

In 2006 they attended 32 hoax incidents, and last year coastguards dealt with 35.

A spokesman said: "A call is treated as genuine until it's determined as a hoax. If they are dealing with a call that turns out to be a hoax, someone else may be in genuine trouble and may need those resources. It has a knock-on effect with all the rescue teams including coastguard rescue and RNLI.

"It is totally irresponsible and it could put other people's lives at risk".