725 hoax 999 calls made to Hampshire's fire service

Figures obtained by the Gazette through a Freedom of Information request show Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service recorded 725 hoax calls between April 2021 and September 2026.

The service has warned the calls can divert control room staff and frontline firefighters away from genuine emergencies, reduce fire cover and put emergency responders and the public at unnecessary risk.

In Basingstoke, 22 hoax calls were recorded during the period, including six between April and September this year.

The figures show there were five in 2021/22, one in 2022/23, one in 2023/24, five in 2024/25 and four in 2025/26.

A further six were recorded during the first six months of the current financial year.

Basingstoke Fire Station manager Dan Trump (Image: Newsquest)

Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 725 hoax calls were recorded by the fire service between April 2021 and September 2026.

There were 139 in 2021/22, 137 in 2022/23, 116 in 2023/24, 148 in 2024/25 and 134 in 2025/26.

Another 51 were recorded between April and September this year.

The figures also reveal substantial differences between areas.

A total of 403 calls were linked to the service's West Group, while 191 were recorded in the East Group, 85 in the North Group and 33 on the Isle of Wight.

Thirteen calls had no address recorded.

Eastleigh had the highest total for an individual town, with 161 hoax calls during the period, followed closely by Southampton with 158.

Portsmouth recorded 86, while Basingstoke's total stood at 22 and Andover recorded 18.

Several communities surrounding Basingstoke also appear in the figures.

Hook recorded five hoax calls and Baughurst four, while Old Basing recorded two.

Oakley, Kingsclere, Whitchurch and Pamber Heath each recorded one.

The Gazette also asked the fire service what action had been taken against hoax callers, including the number of prosecutions, cautions or other outcomes.

It was also asked for the estimated annual cost of responding to hoax 999 calls.

However, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said it does not hold or record either set of information.

The service has now warned that it must initially treat emergency calls as genuine, meaning resources can already have been mobilised before firefighters discover a report is a hoax.

A spokesperson said: “Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service treats every emergency call as genuine, and each is assessed and responded to based on the information being given.

“It is not possible to determine whether a report is a hoax until resources have been mobilised to investigate.

“Hoax calls can have significant consequences. They divert control room staff and frontline crews away from genuine emergencies, reduce fire cover in local communities, place emergency responders and the public at unnecessary risk, and result in the misuse of publicly funded resources.

“We urge everyone to act responsibly and remember that every hoax call has the potential to affect someone facing a genuine emergency.”