A concerned woman fearing “up to no good” carol singers was one of several unusual phone calls received by a police force during “Mad Friday”.
North Yorkshire Police shared details of the incident as part of a “tweetathon” documenting every call received between noon on Friday and 6am on Saturday, a period known to be one of the busiest of the year for forces across the country.
In one post, sent at 8.36pm on Friday, the force said they had been contacted by a woman in Harrogate about the carol singers, who are believed to have been from nearby Leeds.
Caller from #Harrogate who is aware of Christmas carol singers in the area who she believes are from Leeds. Caller believes they are up to no good as they are not local to area – observations passed to local officers #NYPSSF 498
— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) December 21, 2018
The tweet said: “Caller from #Harrogate who is aware of Christmas carol singers in the area who she believes are from Leeds.
“Caller believes they are up to no good as they are not local to area – observations passed to local officers.”
The post triggered a series of comical responses from social media users, including one who suggested that the force should “build a wall and make Leeds pay for it”.
…Only three hours into Saturday and we've already dealt with more than 100 calls including fights, suspected burglaries, domestic violence, a sudden death, missing people and a noise complaint about neighbours having "loud sex". The calls continue to come in. #NYPSSF
— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) December 22, 2018
Another said that the caller might have been baffled by hearing the hymn Silent Night being sung “in a Leeds accent”.
One user joked that he had seen the singers in the famous Betty’s tea room earlier in the day, saying they had “asked for their crusts to be left on, and didn’t leave a tip”.
The force received hundreds of calls during the “tweetathon”, including one about a milkshake being thrown in a takeaway and another complaining about their neighbours’ “loud sex”.
The last Friday before Christmas, nicknamed “Mad Friday” and “Black Eye Friday”, is regarded as a hectic time for emergency services as it is a popular night to host festive parties.