Running out of beer, spiders in the living room and a dodgy mobile phone were among the almost 20,000 inappropriate calls made to Surrey Police's emergency 999.

Among the calls that could have endangered lives by tying up the emergency operators was one from a woman who wanted police to come round and turn her water supply back on, another from a couple arguing over who was the rightful owner of a DVD, a young boy who called 999 and then told operators it was "for a laugh", and a woman who asked police to help because her mobile phone was not working properly.

In the year to July, the Surrey Police contact centre received 179,342 emergency calls.

Superintendent Sue Lampard said the vast majority were genuine emergencies but about 11 per cent - more than 19,000 calls - did not require a police response and were an inappropriate use of the 999 system.

Complaints about noisy neighbours, lost dogs, and noise nuisance account for around 6,000 of the inappropriate 999 calls made in the past 12 months.

A further 13,696 were abandoned calls.

These were often from mobile phones whose owners have forgotten to lock the keypad and dialled 999 accidentally or from young children playing with a telephone.

Supt Lampard said an emergency call should be made when someone is in danger, a crime is in progress or if a serious crime such as rape or assault occasioning bodily harm has occurred.

"The 999 system is there for people who are in genuine emergency situations and need assistance," she said.

"By misusing it you are tying up emergency lines and preventing other people from getting through.

"Ultimately this could end up costing someone their life.

"We are asking the public to act responsibly and only call 999 for the right reasons."

Call 999 if you have a genuine emergency requiring the attendance of the police and 0845 125 2222 for all other policing matters.