It beggars belief anyone, in this day and age, would call 999 because their daughter had head lice.
It is impossible to pick up a newspaper or flick on the TV without reading or hearing how under stress our front-line emergency services are.
Which is why The Argus whole-heartedly welcomes new legislation giving paramedics the power to prosecute hoax callers.
Until now, an arcane loophole meant only the police and fire services could take legal action against the time-wasters whose stupidity ultimately puts lives at risk.
Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust receives dozens of such calls every week, adding to the strain on overstretched resources.
From now, those calls can be logged, the caller tracked down and legal action taken.
It is a simple step and the threat will hopefully make the hoaxers think twice before picking up the phone.
Maybe even the mystery head lice caller will take note - once her daughter's infestation has cleared up.
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