Bizarre phone calls to councils
By Kylie Clark - 20th August 2010
Who would you call if you thought you had left your false teeth in the library? Your local council of course!
This was just one of the 50 million phone calls received each year by council customer service call centre staff.
The top ten list of the most bizarre requests has been released today by the Local Government Association to demonstrate the broad range of issues local council staff are faced with each day.
Equally bizarre, but just missing out on a place in the top ten was the call to Sutton Council from a lady who was certain a car park was haunted when she came back from a shopping trip to find her car in a different parking space, whilst another resident rang to enquire if he could put a dead fox in the recycling bin.
The top 10 bizarre calls to councils:
1) Can I register the death of a person even though they aren't dead yet?
(Surrey)
2) I've tried the number given on your website for the library but it doesn't work
What was the number?
0900 1800
I'm sorry those are the times the library is open between.
(Surrey)
3) I've heard there are dolphins in Cardigan Bay and we'd like to travel down for the day to see them. What time do they start?
(Ceredigion)
4) Do you know where I could get an old bath that I could fill with custard?
(Sutton)
5) Can you explain the plot of ‘She Stoops to Conquer'?
(East Dorset District Council's Tourist Information Centre)
6) Am I allowed to shoot a gun across a public footpath?
(Surrey)
7) A local resident in Cologne, Germany: I am standing at a bus stop and the bus hasn't turned up – what should I do next?
(East Dorset District Council's Tourist Information Centre)
8) Am I allowed to roll up a zebra crossing?
(Surrey)
9) Can you tell me the make of the guns your pest control officers use to shoot starlings as I'd like to buy one?
(Northumberland)
10) A local resident in South Korea: Can you order me a Christmas turkey from the butchers please?
(East Dorset District Council's Tourist Information Centre)
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd