Strathclyde Police released the figures as part of a major drive to cut the number of nuisance 999 calls being made to emergency services in the region.

Lifeline emergency services are being clogged by people wasting time with non-essential calls or deliberately abusing its accessibility.

The crackdown by the police, ambulance and fire services in Strathclyde, as well as the Coastguard, aims to educate people on the correct use of the system.

It hopes to deter those who call 999 irresponsibly, and detect those who make hoax or abusive calls, a BBC Frontline Scotland programme was told.

Strathclyde Police received almost 400,000 calls to 999 operations this year to April:

• 32% were silent calls

• 19% were time-wasters

• 34% were non-urgent police calls

• 3.5% were abusive calls.

The police service said its efficiency was being compromised by time-wasting calls.

The list of time-wasting calls to the police 999 service includes someone worried about the lack of ponds for a waddling line of ducks, a frustrated woman who could not remove her dress because the zip was stuck, and a distraught girl unable to cope with her hair extensions falling out.

Callers to the ambulance service rang to ask crew to help wrap up Christmas presents, and to request an ambulance for a fashion photo shoot because the blue lights would look good.

A spokesman for the Coastguard said one child phoned 999 to report that a boat was sinking, and Captain Pugwash was on board.