FIRE chiefs are using text messages to cut the number of hoax calls, it was revealed today.

After working to reduce the number of malicious calls, bosses at Lancashire Fire and Rescue fear the explosion of mobile phones is responsible for a slight rise in the last 12 months.

There were 4,745 malicious calls in 1992. But even though the figure had fallen to 371 in the second quarter of this year, the total was up 19 from the same quarter last year.

As well as accidental 999 calls -- which occur when people dial 999 by mistake when they phone is in their pocket -- fire control centres are dealing with more malicious calls.

Many are being made by youngsters who believe they cannot be caught if they withhold their mobile's number.

But officers have now started proving them wrong, sending out a standard text message to each phone which is responsible for a silent or malicious 999 call.

The scheme has already been successfully piloted by a handful of authorities across the country.

The first message reads: The Fire Service received a call from this telephone. Please ring 01772 866820. If this was a hoax call, further hoax calls will lead to disconnection of your phone."

Deputy chief fire officer Gerry O'Neill said: "Many people ring straight away because they rang us from their mobile by mistake and we can explain to them how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"But we are seeing more cases of hoax calls being made from mobile phones.

"We send out the text message and log their number. If we get a second call, we send out a final message. On the third call, they are disconnected.

"This applies to contract as well as pay and go phones. We tell the mobile phone provider and they disconnect if for us."

He added: "Hoax calls are only slightly up but lives are still being put at risk.

"If a fire crew is called out to a hoax fire on one side of town and a real one breaks out on the other side, they have further to travel and those extra minutes could cost people their lives.

"The lives of officers and other people on the road are also put at risk because the crews are dashing to a fire which doesn't exist so the chances of a road accident increase."

Mr O'Neill said: "Youngsters can make these calls from the comfort of their own home and think they can't get caught, whereas in the past they were using phone boxes.

"Phone boxes are still a problem, but we are using CCTV to catch troublemakers at phones where we get a lot of hoax calls."

Lancashire Police is one of a number of forces putting pressure on mobile phone manufacturers to create a new lock system on their phones.

Many phones can have their keypads locked so the user doesn't make a call by mistake. But 999 calls can still be made because the lock permits SOS calls to be made.