text: When emergency crews received a call saying 'someone' had been knocked down by a car in Essex, they immediately sent two ambulances to the rescue. But the vehicles returned to base just moments later when the caller revealed the 'victim' was actually a squirrel that had been run over in Epping Forest. The report forms just part of a long list released by East of England ambulance service detailing their most bizarre, and irritating, call outs. Two ambulances were sent to Epping Forest after a caller told crews 'someone' had been run down, only for the 'victim' to turn out to be a squirrel. Another man said he had dropped his burger and it was 'bleeding' Another came from reveller in Basildon, Essex, who said 'I've dropped my burger and it is bleeding', while a third woman in Chelmsford, dialled 999 to report 'I've eaten too much takeaway food.' The service said it receives around 2,500 calls per day, and in the last two years has had to deal with 1,248 that did not need emergency help. Front-line crews have attended almost half of the phoney calls, believing them to be genuine emergencies. Also on the list is a woman from  Shoeburyness who called to say she was locked out of the house, while a man in Peterborough called to say his feet hurt after wearing shoes that were too small. In Hitchin, Hertfordshire, a man told 999 staff: 'I have been dieting and feel lethargic.' Gary Morgan, Regional Head of Emergency Operations Centres, asked people to use common-sense when calling, adding that misguided or hoax calls could cost lives. East on England ambulance revealed the bizarre calls as part of a list of 1,248 inappropriate call outs, saying that crew attended half of them, potentially putting lives at risk (file image) He said: 'We're an emergency service and our front-line staff are trained to save lives. 'However, sadly, some of the calls we receive are not even medically related and we will refer hoax calls to the police. 'We prioritise all life-threatening calls to get the quickest possible response. 'However, that response can be affected if our call handlers and front-line staff are dealing with inappropriate 999 calls. 'We would strongly urge people who think it is funny to make a prank call to stop and think about the potential consequences.' In another strange call one woman phoned to say she felt ill after eating too much takeaway, while a man reported that his feet were hurting after wearing shoes that were too tight .
target: Woman reported 'someone' had been run over, but victim was a squirrel .
  Another man dialled 999 to say he dropped a burger which was 'bleeding'
  East of England ambulance service warned hoax calls can cost lives .