Bosses at Greater Manchester Police have issued a warning about 999 calls ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
The force said there has been a 'large increase in operational demand' in recent weeks.
This has resulted in a 'huge rise' in 999 calls.
Last weekend, almost 1,000 more emergency calls were made compared to the same weekend last year, the force said.
Many of these were not emergencies.
In one call, a man dialled 999 after he had put petrol in his car but didn't have the means to pay.
Others included someone ringing to report a car indicator that had been flashing for an hour with no-one inside the vehicle and a man ringing to report a set of temporary traffic lights that weren't working.
People are being urged to use the force's online service when the incident isn't an emergency.
Chief Superintendent Paul Clements, Head of GMP's Operational Communications Branch, said: "Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, I am urging Greater Manchester to only dial 999 in an emergency. We receive too many 999 calls that are not emergencies.
"Although I'm sure some of these calls were made with the best of intentions, the stark reality is that by tying up the emergency line with a non-urgent call, you could be harming our ability to answer a cry for help from somebody in desperate need or delay our response to a serious incident.
"Therefore our message this weekend is clear. If it's not 999, report it online.
"Our online reporting services are a convenient and effective way to make non-urgent reports to the police. The service can be easily accessed by visiting the GMP website and clicking on the reporting button before selecting the option you need.
"Please only call 999 if it's an emergency."
