An ambulance service has urged people to think before they dial 999 after they received a call about a squirrel injured in a "hit-and-run".

The caller told the 999 handler how the animal had broken its neck after the accident in the Epping Forest area.

At first, the East of England Ambulance Service call handler assumes the victim is a person and seeks to confirm if an ambulance is needed.

But it then emerged the victim was in fact a squirrel - which was dead.

Gary Morgan, eastern regional head of emergency operations centres, said: "We prioritise all life-threatening calls to get the quickest possible response.

"However, that response can be affected if our call handlers and front-line staff are dealing with inappropriate 999 calls."