THE North West Ambulance Service has appealed for people to call only if someone is seriously ill or injured to alleviate the extreme pressure on the service.
Bosses say they are struggling with the volume of 999 calls coming in and the number of incidents they are attending.
The trust has asked people in Bolton to consider other courses of action when cases are not serious, including travelling to hospital by car, talking to a pharmacist, making an appointment with a GP or visiting an NHS walk-in centre or urgent care centre.
Peter Mulchay, Head of Service for the trust said: "The call volume we are currently experiencing is unprecedented and we are asking people of the North West to assist us by only calling in real emergencies and first of all to consider the alternatives available to them.
"Our crews are working extremely hard to reach those who urgently need our help as quickly as possible.
"Because of the extreme rise in calls, it is more important that we triage our calls thoroughly and there is no doubt that those without life-threatening or potentially life-threatening conditions will find themselves waiting some time for an ambulance response or be advised to seek alternatives."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here