KFC shortage outrage among time-wasting calls to UK police

One man called up the police in a panicked state to inform them KFC had run out of chicken. Photo / Getty

Police have released video recordings from members of the UK public making time-wasting phone calls to authorities, including a customer who was furious KFC had run out of chicken.

Police revealed out of two million emergency calls it received in 2018, more than 21,700 of them were deemed unnecessary.

Many of the ridiculous calls included complaints about bad driving, bus drivers whistling and restaurants not serving food fast enough.

But one man called up the police in a panicked state to inform them KFC had run out of chicken.

The call, which took place on March 21, was recorded and published with the customer saying: "Basically, KFC have run out of chicken!".

KFC's around the UK ran out of stock late February and caused meltdown across the country.

Chicken lovers plunged into misery when many branches were forced to temporarily close.

Just weeks later the fast-food giant ran out of gravy.

Police received dozens of calls about the KFC shortage, with Greater Manchester Police speaking out after a man rang up as handlers tried to deal with 73 other emergency calls in the same hour.

An audio clip of the call records the man taking 48 seconds to clear the line, putting lives at risk by keeping handlers from answering real emergencies.

Starting off by saying "I've got an emergency here" he then goes on to explain "I don't know how you feel about this but KFC is closed and I'm entirely not happy. I have to go to Burger King now."

The call handler responds immediately, knowing full well her time is needed elsewhere, saying it's not a police matter and that she is terminating the call but the man hangs on a little longer to ask who he should contact instead.

Superintendent Mark Kenny, who oversees the call-handling team, said: "While some will think this is a harmless prank or joke I want to reiterate the severity of this – we had 74 calls to 999 and 154 to 101 [non-emergency line] during the hour this came in, all of which needed our full attention.

"It's not a stretch to say that, had this man not selfishly called for such a ridiculous reason, we would have been able to help more people who had a real reason to pick up the phone during that time.

"These are the things we are here to help you with, and we want to be able to.

"Please, think before you pick up the phone."

On July 6, one man told the call handler a bus driver was not opening the doors for him and that the bus had broken down.

On September 19, a man called to say he had been waiting half an hour for his breakfast to be served at a pub in central London.

In one call, a woman can be heard complaining about a whistling bus driver, saying people should be "respectful".

She told the call handler: "Everybody's tired, what if everybody starts whistling or singing on the bus?

"I don't really like this because I think they must be respectful."

Other callers complained about a lack of female taxi drivers, the doors of a broken-down bus being shut, and an argument with another driver about right of way.

The calls include a woman calling police to wish them a "happy new year" on New Year's Day.