A sick telephone hoaxer has been warned he faces life in jail unless he stops making false 999 calls.

Emergency workers said David Myers frequently placed lives in danger by calling them out to bogus reports of road accidents around the Bradford district. The city's Crown Court yesterday heard how the latest in his long history of hoax calls had involved the fire brigade, police, ambulance and even air ambulance - costing the taxpayer almost £7,000.

Tim Capstick, prosecuting, said the 40-year-old, who has five convictions for identical offences, made nine calls over an 18-month period.

Myers reported major traffic accidents to 999 operators, often saying people lay trapped in their vehicles while petrol spilled out across the road.

Police arrested Myers, of Kirkgate, Shipley, after firefighter Ian McKelvie recognised his voice from a recorded hoax call made years before. Mr Capstick said Myers immediately admitted the offences, explaining he "got the urge" after drinking.

Judge Peter Benson told Myers' barrister Julie Nelson: "I am tempted to lock him up for a very long time. At least that would save the public a lot of time and expense in dealing with his phone calls."

Miss Nelson said while Myers was not mentally ill he was a "very vulnerable man" who had already served the equivalent of a six-month sentence while being held in jail on remand.

Judge Benson sentenced Myers to 18 months in jail suspended for two years. He said: "He knows if he wants to go back to prison for a long time, all he has to do is make another of these phone calls."

He told Myers: "You are 40 years old and have a dreadful record for persistently over the years misusing the telephone system to make phone calls to every emergency service. This (latest) offence represents nine such calls as being a public nuisance - and you are a public nuisance. When you are tempted to reach for that phone think of the figure of one and a half years because that is what you are going to get for a start, plus a lot more if you come before me. If you continue offending at this rate there will come a time when for the public good you will receive a discretionary life sentence."

Ian McKelvie, from Bradford fire station, said he listened to tapes of Myers' hoaxes from 1999 and linked them to the latest incidents. At that time Myers was traced after his recorded voice was recognised by the landlady of a pub close to a phone box where some of the calls were made.