A woman who made 29 nuisance 999 calls to the police in less than a year has been given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order.

The order was made yesterday (28 Aug) at Furness Magistrates’ Court against Louise Chambers, 29, of Maple Street in Barrow.

The terms of the order prevent Chambers from using the 999 phone line – except when in the genuine belief that there is an emergency which requires action from the police.

The order also prevents Chambers from acting in an antisocial manner likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Sergeant Sara Seath said: “I am pleased with the outcome of this case. It has involved hard work from officers and it shows that antisocial and criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.

“Every nuisance or inappropriate 999 emergency call we receive ties up our resources and has the potential to delay our response to genuine emergencies. The actions of people like Chambers could have tragic consequences for people in genuine need of our help and I would like to thank to court for issuing the order.

“We have worked hard with our partners to try and prevent Chambers’ behaviour, some of which has included trying to support her. However, we have been left with no option but to apply for a CBO to tackle her persistent antisocial behaviour.”

The penalty for breaching the terms of a Criminal Behaviour Order can include a prison sentence.

Anyone who witnesses the terms of a Criminal Behaviour Order being breached should contact the police immediately.