UK police have reminded people to only call 999—the British version of 000—during actual emergencies after a man rang to complain about accidentally buying non-alcoholic RTDs.

An angry Tesco supermarket customer dialled Hertfordshire Police after he mistakenly purchased a four-pack of non-alcoholic Gordon’s gin and tonic cans.

He went to a nearby park to drink the G&Ts, opened a can and realised his mistake. He went back to Tesco to demand an exchange, but the store manager refused because he had already opened one of the cans.

So he dialled 999 and ask for a police car to be dispatched to “mediate over a problem”.

He told them: “I’ve just gone in there and they’ve got these miniature Gordon’s gin with tonic, it’s in the alcohol section.

“I’m going over to the park, because it’s nice and cool, and I’m sitting in shade and I look at it, it’s zero alcohol. And it’s in the alcohol section, so they all look the same.

“I just brought it back and [the Tesco staff member] says ‘you’ve already drank one’, I said okay, I’ll pay for that one, can I exchange the other ones. It cost me £6 because I haven’t got a Tesco card.”

The emergency call handler tried to explain that it was not a police matter, so he told her he was going to shoplift an alcoholic version.

The operator warned him against stealing and he replied: “I’m really angry, so I’ll get arrested… because I’m not having it.”

UK Police have used the incident to remind the public to only call 999 during an emergency.

A spokesperson said: “While this call may seem amusing, the serious side of it is that this individual called 999 and took up the time of one of our call handlers who could have been helping someone in genuine need – potentially even a life-or-death situation.”

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