People across Cornwall have been asked to only call 999 in a genuine emergency after a huge spike in demand.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has put out the request just before 4.30pm, saying that at that time the BT 999 service was experiencing "a continued significant increase."

It asked people to hold back on calling the number unless in a serious emergency, to allow for genuinely urgent calls to get through and be dealt with.

The service is seeing a spike across the UK as the country basks in a mini-heatwave.

Temperatures hit 25°C at the Met Office's Camborne weather monitoring station at midday today, and again at RNAS Culdrose in Helston at 3pm, while at Cardinham near Bodmin they reached 26°C.

However, the hot weather is prompting an influx of calls.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "The BT 999 service is currently experiencing a continued significant increase of 999 calls due to the warm weather across the UK.

"Please only call 999 in a genuine emergency. This will allow genuinely urgent calls to be promptly handled. Thank you."

An emergency department doctor at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro has recorded a video for people about how to stay safe in the Duchy, in an effort to prevent people from having to visit the department and reduce pressure on the hospital.

Read more and see the full video here: Emergency department doctor sends video message to people in Cornwall