Juvenile Essex pranksters who make hoax 999 calls from phone boxes are to be left a vital message ... malicious calls cost lives.

An initiative to combat the growing menace of false calls to the emergency services has been launched by BT Payphones and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Last year more than half of the five million 999 calls from BT phone boxes turned out to be hoaxes.

Research conducted by BT Payphones shows that while malicious calls are a problem for all three emergency services, the fire service suffers most.

The brigade estimates fire engines attended more than 81,000 false alarms last year as a result of hoax calls, mainly made by teenagers. More than 1,600 of these were made to the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

BT invited individual fire brigades across the country to nominate the worst affected kiosks in their areas. These have been fitted with eye-catching posters warning against the dangers of hoax calls.

In addition 7,500 posters carrying an anti-hoax message will be stuck on the inside of kiosk glass.

BT Payphones director Malcolm Newing said: "Essex isn't the worst area in the country for hoax calls, but the figures are worryingly high.

"Most false 999 calls are made by children and although the culprits are generally in their teens, we are convinced that getting the safety message across to younger children will prevent them getting involved in this kind of activity when they get older."

Essex fire service station officer Nigel Dilley said: "Malicious calls reduce the efficiency of the fire service, because obviously fire engines cannot be in two places at once. If fire crews are responding to hoax calls, they are not available to answer genuine calls for help. Any delay in attending an emergency could mean the difference between life and death."

Published Thursday December 27, 2001