ADULTS living in Yorkshire have had to, on average, call 999 at least twice in their lives, according to a new survey.

The poll, commissioned by BT, reveals that most calls to the 999 number are now made from a mobile phone.

A total of 67 per cent of adults in Yorkshire and The Humber have made a 999 call from a mobile, compared to just 48 per cent making the same call from a landline.

The survey has been published by BT to mark today's 999 Day, an annual celebration of the work of emergency services across the UK.

Six BT call centres handle all the UK's 999 calls in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, passing calls to the relevant emergency service.

The number of 999 calls handled by BT has increased significantly in recent years, jumping from around 25 million calls a year in 2000, to 33 million in 2018.

Geoff Hickman, BT's head of Voice Services, said: “We are now handling record numbers of 999 calls each year. There may be several reasons for this, but it’s clear from the survey that not everyone knows when to call the emergency number, and when to call the range of non-emergency numbers.