This is why police blocked off Fylde Road in Preston yesterday

Preston's Fylde Road was shut by police after paramedics responded to an urgent 999 call at an address yesterday (Monday, December 13).
By Matthew Calderbank
Published 14th Dec 2021, 15:17 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2021, 15:28 BST
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Traffic was diverted whilst police blocked off Fylde Road between the railway bridge and the Citroen dealership following the emergency call at 2.30pm.

North West Ambulance Service said the caller had sought urgent help after reporting a serious injury at an address on the road.

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But when ambulance crews arrived at the scene, they discovered the 999 call was a hoax and no-one had been hurt.

Police diverted traffic after shutting Fylde Road between the railway bridge and the Citroen dealership following a hoax emergency call at 2.30pm yesterday (Monday, December 13). Pic: GooglePolice diverted traffic after shutting Fylde Road between the railway bridge and the Citroen dealership following a hoax emergency call at 2.30pm yesterday (Monday, December 13). Pic: Google
Police diverted traffic after shutting Fylde Road between the railway bridge and the Citroen dealership following a hoax emergency call at 2.30pm yesterday (Monday, December 13). Pic: Google

Lancashire Police did not say what type of incident the hoax caller claimed to have taken place, but those who witnessed the police response said armed officers had been deployed to the area.

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Fylde Road reopened at around 3pm and police are continuing to investigate who was behind the hoax call.

A police spokesman told the Post: "This was a report from the ambulance service of someone being injured at an address in Fylde Road, but emergency services attended and it was found to be a hoax call."

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Lancashire Police has been approached for further details on the incident.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "We can confirm we received a 999 call for urgent help to an address in Fylde Road, Preston at 2.30pm yesterday (Monday, December 13).

"After sending an ambulance and a response vehicle to the scene, we discovered the call, unfortunately, was a hoax."

They added: "Making a 999 call for anything that isn’t a life-threatening or serious emergency simply puts lives at risk by taking up valuable time and resources.

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"What may seem like a laugh and a joke can have extremely serious consequences. It’s really important to respect the 999 service and only use it when really needed.

"Think – while we are responding to your hoax call, we’re unable to respond to your friends or family."

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