Paramedics were called out to reports of a woman freezing to death on a park bench but when they arrived at the scene, they found a statue.

A worried passer-by had called 999 after seeing the sculpture covered in snow in Brampton Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

West Midlands Ambulance crew rushed to the park yesterday morning to find their 'patient' couldn't be helped.

Next, call from a member of the public who was concerned that there was someone sat on a bench, not moving and covered in snow! Luckily, on our arrival, it turned out to be a statue. West Midlands Ambulance Service, Katie Tudor

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said:

Somebody in their car spotted who they thought was a person covered in snow and called us. An ambulance arrived straight away and our crew was there for exactly minute and one second. The woman who called us had good intentions, but it’s unfortunate that she didn’t go over to check first that it wasn’t a statue. West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman

The statue known as the Lady in the Park has been in Brampton Park since November 2014, when it was installed to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.

The life-sized sculpture depicts a woman reading a letter sent from the Armed Forces informing her that family members had died in battle.Katie’s tweet got a big reaction from Twitter.

Fellow paramedic Peter Bowles said: