A man who called 999 while drunk from a North Yorkshire pub claiming someone had been shot sparked a massive response from emergency services, including eight armed officers and a helicopter.

Thomas Lund’s drunken call three days after Christmas from a pub in Kettlewell saying there was “lots of blood” resulted in police, medical personnel, several vehicles and a helicopter all being deployed, heard Skipton Magistrates Court.

Lund, 30, of Low Hall Farm, Kettlewell, made the call from the village’s Bluebell Inn, the court heard on Friday last week. The cost to the ambulance service alone was put at £8,000, with North Yorkshire Police yet to say what it had cost them.

Lund, who now faces a possible prison sentence, made the emergency call at just after 11pm on December 28 claiming someone had been shot with a .22 rifle and that there was ‘lots of blood’.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Kettlewell

Prosecutor, Matthew Rose, said the line then went dead, and the call handler was unable to re-establish contact. He said Lund was known to the police, and his father held a firearms licence.

Because of this, a police inspector and three members of staff were assigned in the North Yorkshire Police control room with 14 officers, eight armed police, a police dog and handler being sent to the village.

An ambulance, 14 medical personnel and several emergency vehicles were also dispatched in the middle of the night and in poor weather conditions, said Mr Rose.

Because of the weather , which included localised flooding, the helicopter had to turn back. Meanwhile, the only medical emergency in Kettlewell was a woman suffering a reaction to a cannabis vape, Mr Rose told the court.

Lund, who admitted causing wasteful employment of police by knowingly making a false report, had been on an order at the time, for the assault by beating of John Lund in Kettlewell on November 3, 2022, the court heard.

In mitigation, Julian White said there was no explanation for the 999 call on December 28. “The answer I am afraid was alcohol, “ he said.

Magistrates told Lund that his case would be adjourned until February 23 back to the Skipton court for a pre-sentence report to be organised.

The bench chairman told Lund: “We think this is sufficiently serious to cross the custody level.”

The prospect of Lund not being able to attend the hearing was raised because his partner was due to have a baby very close to the date.

Lund, who was found guilty after trial of the assault of John Lund in July last year, was put on a community order requiring him to have treatment for drug dependency and carry out unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £300, court costs of £300 and a surcharge of £114.