DIAL 888 IF IT'S NOT SO URGENT; City plans new helpline to complement emergency services.

Byline: Ian Latta

LIVERPOOL City Council could become the first in the country to handle non-emergency 888 calls.

The new system will relieve overburdened 999 operators who have to deal with millions of unnecessary calls to the emergency services each year.

Home Office officials are already looking into a new way to improve the system, following the success of other schemes such as NHS Direct and Crimestoppers.

Council chiefs say they are ideally positioned to incorporate the system into its existing Liverpool Direct call centre, Britain's largest local authority call centre.

Last night, city council leader Coun Mike Storey said: "We would be up for anything that frees up the emergency system.

"We are ideally positioned because Liverpool Direct already handles calls covering everything from loneliness to lost cats, which may well have clogged up 999 calls in the past.

"It would also bring in extra revenue for the taxpayers of Liverpool because we would not be providing the service for free."

Liverpool Direct, a joint venture between the council and BT, was set up in 1999 and now handles 23,000 calls a week. It has just taken its two millionth query and council chiefs claim it out-performs call centres in the private sector.

The Home Office says it does not keep figures for the number of non-emergency calls which clog up 999 lines but admit it runs "into millions."

Some of the calls taken by 999 operators include a model who broke her fingernail and dialled for an ambulance.

Another woman phoned up because the zip on her dress got stuck.

Other callers demanded advice from the emergency service on managing a sick pet, booking a taxi and how to get glue off their fingers.

Home Office chiefs say plans for an 888 system are already at the White Paper stage, a firm indication of Government intent.

The 888 system would deal with all non-emergency calls such as floods, icy roads and abandoned cars.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We believe dedicated non-emergency access to the police could be handled by call centres and would involve local authorities." She admitted Liverpool Direct would be an ideal medium to launch such a system.

Plans for the 888 system come as Liverpool is also bidding to become the first city to launch a call centre for councils, which could create 500 jobs.

It would deal with calls on behalf of other UK local authorities for a range of services from revenue and benefit inquiries to housing repairs.

People making calls would dial a number local to their area, but the centre in Liverpool would answer their query.

The city council's executive member for best value, Coun Chris Newby, said: "It is our aim to make this as big as possible."