Lusardi calls 999 in traffic jam

Linda Lusardi called 999 after getting caught in a traffic jam on the way to a pantomime performance.

The actress found herself in a long queue of vehicles on the M25 on Saturday when she was supposed to be appearing as the Wicked Queen at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe.

She called the emergency services and asked whether she could use the hard shoulder to overtake the waiting cars.

A Hertfordshire Police representative commented: "She called us at 1.30pm on Saturday asking for permission to use the hard shoulder. Obviously, we declined. 999 is for emergencies only.

"There hadn't been an accident, it was just heavy traffic. If someone was very ill or pregnant expecting a child we might be able to facilitate something like that - in an emergency - but clearly getting to a pantomime doesn't constitute that."

Lusardi's pantomime production company Qdos Entertainment said: "Miss Lusardi has no comment to make. But I can say everybody's human and we don't all run like robots."