E-mail i recieved.. 112.. Well i never knew that!

[cdd]

I accidentally called the emergency services once when using one of those stupid phones with an "SOS" button. When you accidentiallly call 999, however, are you actually wasting valuable emergency services time? - because you have to request a service and then get transferred to that department. I mean, who asks you which service you require?

How did you do it accidentally? Were you trying to call the Secretary of State at the time?

No, the speaking clock.

[Nick Harvey]

Understood. I remember that we had a book of local dialling codes in the early 1980s; was Bristol to Bath also 92?

Bristol to Bath and Bristol to Trowbridge wouldn't have been the same code in those days. I THINK Bristol to Bath was 91, but on reflection, I may have my 91 and my 92 round the wrong way.

Here, for interest, are the local codes off Devizes exchange in 1985. Note that some of the 9X codes have already been replaced with 0XXX ones.

[Pete]

So with your extensive knowledge of the phone system.. were the numbers better in the olden days or nowadays?

[Psythor]

http://www.euromove.org.uk/euromyths/999

They're not replacing 999.

I'm aware a clearly pro-Europe website isn't the best place to reference for proof, but wouldn't there be a bit more of a fuss in the media (ie: the Daily Express/Mail) if it were true?[/url]

[Mich]

but wouldn't there be a bit more of a fuss in the media (ie: the Daily Express/Mail) if it were true?

The Daily Express/Mail are filtering their stories based on truth? When did they start doing that....

[Nick Harvey]

So with your extensive knowledge of the phone system.. were the numbers better in the olden days or nowadays?

Now. No doubt about it.

Now, the numbers might be longer, but you just have to remember one number for each destination. The same number works from wherever you are and whatever network you're on.

The early codes from the auto-manual days were a pain, as every time you changed location, you had to look up another code for the same destination.

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave much earlier, about not remembering whether to start "91" or "991".

[Dan]

I wish people would keep up though. I managed to persuade Wales Today to caption a number in the correct format the other night, but who's going to convince my mum that the dialling code for her number is 0117 rather than 01179? The fact that Bristol numbers beginning with 3 have been being issued for a few years now doesn't seem to have made any difference, so I doubt whether 029 21xx xxxx or 020 6xxx xxxx numbers will either.

[Nick Harvey]

I'm waiting with interest to see the re-introduction of your Mum's old number!

One source told me that when Bournemouth and Poole go over to an 02 code, the numbers will be in the format 027 2XXX XXXX.

Should be fun.

[Lorns]

Bloody hell Nick, your brain is like a telephone exchange. How do you do that? I have trouble remembering my mobile number.

Whats the number for my nearest Pizza hut delivery service please Nick.

I didn't know about 112 nor did i know about not having to pull over for unmarked police cars.

[Nick Harvey]

Whats the number for my nearest Pizza hut delivery service please Nick.

01474 569369 ought to work.

[Sput]

Bloody hell Nick, your brain is a telehone exchange. .

I fixed it for ya, lorns!