AMBULANCE crews are urging people in Dorset to only call for 'life-threatening' emergencies as it deals with a surge in incidents.

The service is expected to be stretched as the county is set to experience the warmest weekend of the year and football fans prepare for Euro 2020 to kick off.

A spokesman from South Western Ambulance Service said: "We would like to ask the public only to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency this weekend, as we remain very busy in Dorset.

"We are dealing with approximately 450 emergency incidents per day this week in Dorset, which is around a third more than last year. We expect demand to remain very high on Saturday and Sunday.

"Last week we dealt with a total of 3,220 incidents in the county.

"Our service remains under significant pressure and we will continue to prioritise anyone who is critically ill.

"We urge people to choose well and only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency, for example, if someone has stopped breathing, is unconscious or has serious bleeding.

“If you have a non-life-threatening but urgent medical problem, please contact NHS 111 online or by phone.

Non-life threatening include broken or fractured bones, sprains, or burns. If you have other medical problems, please contact your GP surgery or pharmacy."