Police warn they will punish anyone abusing the new system

Deaf and speech impaired people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be able to use the facility from Friday.

They will not have to pre-register their details in order to use the service - they just text 80999 and the message is sent to emergency services.

The number is not designed for general use and police say anyone misusing it will have their mobiles disabled.

This new service is a big step forward in improving access to the emergency services for deaf people Sgt Glen Barham

Sgt Glen Barham said: "In the past deaf people and speech impaired people who were involved in an emergency would have to find another person and try to make them understand that they needed help.

"This new service is a big step forward in improving access to the emergency services for deaf people."

It is estimated that there are about 275,000 people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.

The national figure for deaf and hard of hearing is thought to be about nine million with the figure rising steadily as the number of people over 60 increases.