THE ambulance service is appealing to the public to think carefully before dialling 999 after the hot weather was blamed on a huge rise in emergency calls.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had experienced a 23 per cent rise in calls following the recent hot weather putting staff under immense pressure.

On Wednesday, the service dealt with 2,900 calls - 600 more than the same period last year, including 100 more calls from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

The appeal comes after the MET Office has upgraded the Heat Wave Plan Alert to level three on behalf of the Department of Health.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Please only call the ambulance service in genuine emergencies and life threatening situations.

“The service is experiencing a rise in calls from people who have heat related conditions such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke, sunburn and dehydration as well as alcohol-related injuries and illness, all of which can be avoided by being sensible and following guidelines to stay safe.”

Tips for coping during a heatwave include: Avoiding the sun between 11am and 3pm; wearing a hat, sunscreen and light clothing; drinking plenty of cool drinks (not caffeine and alcohol); eating fruit, vegetables and salad which contain water; not opening windows between 11am and 3pm; sleeping in a cool and well ventilated room.

People are urged to check on older people who are much more prone to a heat-related illness, take plenty of water on long journeys and never leave babies, children and older people in parked cars.

For more advice, visit nhsdirect.nhs.uk or call 0845 4647.