A menace who flooded the ambulance service with 414 calls cost the NHS £45,000 in the space of a year.

Stephen Holder, of Snodhurst Avenue, Chatham, made the nuisance 999 calls to South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Police, between last January and February this year.

This includes 118 calls to police - at an estimated additional cost to the taxpayer of £15,000 - and 296 calls to the NHS.

The 62-year-old would threaten to harm himself during the phone calls, which would often last for more than one hour.

Officers and ambulance staff would then have to visit his address to ensure his safety.

Despite being offered various levels of support services and advice from the police and Medway Council, Holder continued to make the phone calls.

Eventually, police were forced to issue warnings and Medway Council issued a Community Protection Notice. Holder continued to make the calls, and was handed a fixed penalty notice which he failed to pay.

'Misusing the emergency call system and abusing frontline emergency workers is completely unacceptable...'

Feeling they had exhausted all other avenues, police decided to take action against him.

On Tuesday, Holder appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court where he was issued with a five year criminal behaviour order.

The order states Holder must not call emergency services unless there is a genuine requirement for emergency assistance, and must not provide false details when calling. It also says he must not ask anyone else to call an emergency service on his behalf unless he is in genuine need of assistance.

PC Beth Honess from Medway’s Community Safety Unit said: "Holder's actions took officers and paramedics away from people who may really have required their help.

"Despite efforts to work with other agencies and assist Holder where he may have needed support, he continued to make the nuisance phone calls. I hope the outcome makes others think twice about behaving in a similar manner."

An ambulance service spokeman added: "We are pleased that this case has been through the courts. Our frequent caller team works closely to provide support to this often vulnerable group of individuals but we will also take action, where appropriate, to ensure they are held accountable for their actions. We hope this acts as a deterrent to those who use our service irresponsibly."

Cllr Adrian Gulvin, chairman of the Medway Community Safety Partnership, said: "Misusing the emergency call system and abusing frontline emergency workers is completely unacceptable.

"This result sends a clear message that wasting the time of our emergency services will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our partners in Kent Police and SECAmb and support enforcement action to address all forms of anti-social behaviour."

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

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