British police want people to make sure they only call the emergency phone number for dangerous emergencies, not such things as not being able to hear the TV.

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Police in England's West Midlands region say time-wasting 999 calls -- Britain's equivalent of 911 calls in the United States and Canada -- included one in which someone told emergency dispatchers he could not hear the television due to a car engine revving outside, Sky News reported.

Another caller complained her partner was taking too long to buy cigarettes.

Yet another person called to report a hedgehog got its head stuck in a cardboard soup container.

"Over 50 percent of calls received by the police are not appropriate," Superintendent Angela Booton of West Midlands Police said. "This is a vital emergency service for the public and any misuse could have serious consequences," adding misusing 999 "can and does cost lives."

She recommended people call the local police non-emergency number for any other purpose.