West Yorkshire Police shared an audio recording of the call on Twitter as it pleaded with members of the public not to call except in a life-or-death emergency.

The caller is heard recounting that he bought a “clown looking doll” in supermarket Morrison’s in the apparently mistaken belief that it would come with four pumpkins.

After complaining about the absence of pumpkins, a supermarket worker gave him a pumpkin “as a goodwill gesture” — but after demanding all four, she took it back.

The man subsequently dialled 999 to complain of “theft”, but was sharply rebuked and told: “You’ve rung on 999, which is a life-or-death emergency, about pumpkins. It’s not a life-or-death emergency. It’s not a theft.”

In the tweet, West Yorkshire Police added: “Please don’t ring 999 if you’re in dispute with your local supermarket about pumpkins. A call like this could prevent us from dealing with a genuine life-or-death emergency.”