POLICE have warned of the consequences of making a hoax call after officers in Warrington received two unrelated 999 calls just minutes apart.

It has since been discovered that the force had been the victim of two hoax calls on the evening of January 9 after officers were sent to Howley and Orford to try to establish if there was a real emergency.

Police say no suspects have been identified at this stage but investigations are ongoing.

Making a hoax call is a criminal offence and those convicted of this crime face a fine of up to £5,000 or six months in prison.

Arron Cooper, response inspector at Warrington Police Station, said: “Each time someone makes a joke call or a hoax call to 999 or 101 it can put another person's life at risk as we are unable to direct our resources to those who really need it.

“In our profession it really is a matter of life or death as we are unable to deal with a genuine emergency.

"We can trace these calls and those convicted face a fine starting with a fixed penalty noticed of £80 or in extreme circumstances can be sent to prison."

Earlier this year the Warrington Guardian reported how an ‘unhappy’ caller complained to the force over the result of BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

World 10,000m champion Sir Mo Farah was named as the winner at the awards ceremony in Liverpool in December.

But one viewer was unhappy with the result and dialled the non-emergency police number on 101 to voice his feelings on the matter.

All 999 calls made to the police force are recorded and can be traced back to the caller.

This doesn't just apply to landlines – even calls from public phone boxes and mobile phones are taped and could be traced.

To read a list of the top ten most ridiculous calls to Cheshire Police visit warringtonguardian.co.uk.