Londoners who call the fire brigade after being locked out of their homes have cost the taxpayer £10million over the last four years, London Fire Brigade said today
Fire crews were sent to 28,712 'locked out' incidents since April 2009, with each one costing about £350, they said.
In 2012 alone, firefighters answered 6,947 calls, almost half of which were later classed as 'non-emergencies'.
Partygoers are being asked to call a locksmith if they lose their keys after a boozy Christmas do.
Third Officer Dave Brown said: "If you’re planning on having a few Christmas sherries, we’d urge you to leave a key with a friend or neighbour, rather than risk calling 999 and wasting emergency service time.
"If there is a risk of a fire, it’s a real emergency, or you can’t get to a young child inside, then we will come and help. But ringing just because you don’t want to pay for a locksmith is not good enough."
Fire brigade unions will stage a strike this Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
The figures released today also showed 3,012 people were locked in toilets or bathrooms, 103 in car parks, and 40 locked in offices.
There were also the bizarre incidents of a man locked in a loo with his foot trapped in the toilet and a person stuck inside the luggage hold of a coach.
