Half of East Sussex fire service calls false alarms

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image caption, The fire service says 49.4% of calls received in 2016/17 were false alarms

Almost half of calls to East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in the last year were false alarms.

Of the 9,144 call-outs in in 2016-17, false alarms accounted for 4,515. More than 3,000 of those were from automatic alarm systems.

The fire service is sending advice to properties where there have been repeated call-outs.

Spokesman Mark Matthews said: "It is important that we are not distracted from real emergencies."

He said businesses, landlords and property owners should investigate the cause of false alarms and ensure equipment is serviced regularly.

"We are asking them to follow our advice and take responsibility for their premises and by doing so, ensure our crews remain available for life-saving incidents."

The fire service was called 338 times because people were stuck in lifts. It said the a lift stopping between floors was a "foreseeable event".

A spokesman added: "We expect that the building's owner or occupants have a way to deal with these non-emergency events when they happen.

"You should not rely on calling 999."