GREATER Manchester Police have issued a statement about 101 call wait times after it was revealed that a Westhoughton mum waited 78 minutes with no answer.

It was also revealed that more than three-quarters of all calls to the number, between January and March, 2019, were not answered within target timeframes set by the force.

Superintendent Mark Kenny said: “We will continue to answer 101 calls, however, if our emergency demand from 999 is high, non-emergency calls make take longer to respond to.

“We prioritise our resources to those at most risk who need immediate assistance because their lives or property are in imminent danger. While we understand that members of the public may be concerned about these figures, I want to reassure Greater Manchester residents that we are continuing to work closely to establish alternative ways of reporting crime whilst coping with an increased complexity in the calls we receive.”