Hoax callers in Kent are most likely to come from Ashford.

Data from the county's police force shows the town has been the source of most prank phone-ins received by its handlers.

It recorded 119 calls last year which had been deemed a hoax — on average it deals with 146 every year.

The police were asked for the number times these calls were recorded since 2015, and their locations.

A Freedom of Information request revealed Ashford has had the highest number over the past eight years with 93.

The town was followed by Gillingham with 91, and Gravesend with 88.

The worst year was 2015 when 232 calls were deemed to be hoaxes.

This year, there had been 81 such calls until the beginning of September. Chatham has been the origin of most (10) in 2022.

Responding to the figures, Chief Superintendent Mark Nottage, head of crime and incident response, said: "Kent Police receives an average of 1,000 emergency calls each day and whilst the majority of these are from people with genuine emergencies, we are still seeing a number of hoax calls which is completely unacceptable.

"Over the past eight years the force has received 1,101 hoax calls from members of the public.

"This behaviour puts others at risk who genuinely need assistance by diverting resources away from incidents where life is in danger or a crime is being committed.

"Making hoax calls and false reports is a serious matter and can constitute as a criminal offence.

"Our staff in the Force Control Room work 24 hours a day, seven days a week taking calls and helping keep members of the public safe from harm.

"Those thinking of wasting police time should be reminded that we record all those calls and they can be used as evidence in court.

"Each incident is judged on its own merits and we do work very closely with partner agencies to provide support to people who need intervention rather than prosecution.

"However, anyone found to be intentionally wasting police time risks criminal proceedings.

"There are now more ways than ever to report a real crime and whilst 999 should always be used in an emergency, for non emergencies contact can be made online at www.kent.police.uk/report or by using the live chat function.

"Anyone who can’t access the internet can still make contact by calling 101."