DRUNKEN clubbers who have run out of money for taxis are calling ambulances to get them home, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Thoughtless revellers are putting people’s lives at risk by wasting ambulance crews’ time on pointless call-outs and jamming up the switchboard.

Although the crews do not give the lifts, the time wasted taking these calls and getting a team ready to dispatch to the scene means treatment for someone with life-threatening injuries is delayed.

The cost of every call-out is £257.

It comes after South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) launched a hard-hitting campaign to stamp out hoax and inappropriate calls that drag vital resources from those fighting for their lives.

As reported in yesterday’s Daily Echo, between January 2011 and October 2011, the service received 1,235 hoax calls and thousands of inappropriate calls, including calls from people who have lost their remote control or want help changing a lightbulb.

But for many paramedics, Friday and Saturday nights are notorious for calls from people who have had too much to drink and have no money left for a taxi fare.

Paul Jefferies, a Hampshire area manager and an experienced paramedic who has worked with the ambulance service for more than 18 years, said: “When each callout costs £257, that is a pretty expensive taxi service. People need to realise that if we were out doing that, we would not be available for the next call which could be someone suffering from a cardiac arrest.

“For us on the frontline we are wishing and hoping that this campaign will make people think before calling 999.

“The service is for lifethreatening emergencies so it can be very frustrating dealing with those just in need of a taxi.”

Gillian Hodgetts, from SCAS, added: “When a 999 call is connected to the emergency operations centre an ambulance team is immediately prepared for dispatch.

“This is key to meeting the emergency response times required for life-threatening situations. So each call from someone drunk wanting a lift home, that connects with the emergency operations centre triggers an emergency vehicle for dispatch, which means it is then not available for lifethreatening situations.”