YORKSHIRE Ambulance Service today warned people to make 999 calls only in an absolute emergency as crews come under extra pressure due to hazardous weather conditions.

The Trust's most urgent 'red' call category was more than 34 per cent higher yesterday than in previous years and with more snow and ice on the ground an increase in weather-related slips, trips and falls and road traffic collisions is expected, said Dr David Macklin, the trust's executive director of operations.

The region’s NHS 111 urgent care telephone service, run by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, is also experiencing very high demand and is appealing to people to be patient while waiting for the phone to be answered and for call-backs from clinicians.

Dr Macklin said: “We have tried and tested plans in place to ensure that we can operate effectively in the adverse weather conditions but ask that members of the public continue to use the service wisely.

"We don’t want to deter people from calling 999 in serious cases such as heart attack, breathing difficulties or stroke for example and please be reassured that we are focusing our efforts on reaching patients with life-threatening illnesses and serious injuries as a priority."

He added: "Our staff are working extremely hard to get to people who call upon us for help as quickly and as safely as possible but, understandably, hazardous driving conditions may mean that it takes us a little longer than normal to reach patients in the worst-hit areas.

"Our NHS 111 service is also under pressure and we are asking everyone to be patient as it is taking longer than usual for calls to be answered and for our clinical staff to ring callers back.”