AMBULANCE chiefs have urged the public not to report emergencies via social media.

The plea from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) came after an individual in the Durham area asked for an ambulance in the early hours of the morning by sending a message to the service’s Facebook page.

Mark Cotton, the NEAS’ assistant director of communications, said it was the first time the Facebook page had been used in this way since it was set up four years ago.

But the page is not monitored during the night and so the NEAS is asking people always to report emergencies by calling 999.

Mr Cotton said: “This isn’t something we’re currently set up to be able to respond to in the same way we would do a 999 call.

“When it comes to life-threatening conditions the fastest way we can assess a patient’s need is to talk to them.”