A North East police force has urged the public to only call them regarding urgent matters, after receiving more than 1,000 calls in a 24-hour period yesterday.

Cleveland Police have revealed they faced more than 1,200 calls on Monday (February 6) over the course of 24 hours, and have urged those contacting them with "non-police related matters" to use alternative means of contacting them.

They explained this is because any uneccessary calls may endanger those who truly need their help, as phone lines become tied up.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson has said those looking to report crimes or receive an update into an existing query could instead use their website.

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In a statement, Paul Richardson, Force Control room superintendent, said: “We take the public’s safety extremely seriously, but it’s calls of this nature which are a drain on our important resources, and they tie up our phone lines and operator time.

“Whilst Force Contact Officers are answering non-police related matters, they could be answering a call to a victim whose life may be in danger.

 “Monday morning seems to be a particularly busy time for people to call up with queries in relation to an ongoing investigation or to speak to an officer.

“Many people don’t realise that crimes and queries can be reported on our website, which is a quick and easy way to contact the Force.

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"Using this method to contact us in a non-emergency is not time effective for the victim but it also reduces the high demand on our call takers.

“Emergencies will always be prioritised, but we will deal with all reported incidents which are not classed as an emergency queries as quickly as we can."

Mr Richardson also said many of the calls they received came from the 999 line, however some of the calls were via 101 and were not a policing matter.

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He also thanked the public for their patience and wished everyone a safe week.

To report a crime on Cleveland Police's website, visit here.

Members of the public can also report crime via the COPA app, which was created by Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner