Hastings police officers were called to a family home – by an 18-month-old baby.

Juliet Buckley was shocked to find the police at the door on Tuesday.

Little Niamh Buckley loves playing with her toy phone but when her mother momentarily popped out of the living room she decided to play with the real thing instead.

From the house landline she called 999 and gurgled happily down the phone to emergency call handlers – unbeknownst to her mother.

Just ten minutes later police arrived at the family home in St Leonards, and asked Mrs Buckley: “Is there a baby at this address?”

The NHS radiographer said: “I couldn’t believe it when I looked out the window and saw a police car in the middle of the road.

“Then two officers walked up to my front door. I felt really guilty even though I knew I had not done anything wrong.

“They explained what had happened and Niamh was behind my leg waving and smiling at them.

“The police were really lovely and were laughing, but I felt so guilty.”

The 43-year-old said police had called back the home phone – but it is broken and does not ring.

Officers left a message, but Mrs Buckley did not notice the answering machine was flashing before the police arrived .

She said: “We were having a lazy morning and I was only out the room briefly. Niamh has a toy phone and must have gone over to the actual phone straightaway and randomly dialled 999.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“I have told her now, ‘you do not play with the real phone’ – I do not want her calling the police again.”

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed two officers attended an address in St Leonards at about 10am on Tuesday after their 999 control centre received a call from what was believed to be a baby.

He said when officers visited the address everything was well.