A pantomime actress has been criticised by police after dialling 999 when heavy traffic which threatened to make her late for a performance of Snow White.

Linda Lusardi, a former glamour model, called emergency services her car got stuck in a traffic jam on the M25 this weekend.

She told police that she feared missing the opening curtain of the show in which she is starring as the Wicked Queen and asked for permission to drive down the hard shoulder and undertake the traffic.

The incident took place on Saturday as the 50-year-old former Page 3 model headed to the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, for the matinee performance.

A spokeswoman from Hertfordshire Police said: “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.”

Police used Lusardi’s actions to remind the public what the emergency services number is there for.

A spokesman said: “Being late for work is not a reason to call 999, contact the police or use emergency measures. Use of the hard shoulder is restricted for emergency service vehicles only.

“In particular, we would also strongly urge people to only phone 999 in an absolute emergency, such as where there is immediate threat to life or property.

“For all other non-emergency calls, members of the public should ring the non-emergency number so as not to prevent genuine 999 calls from getting through."

Richard Linford, from Qdos Entertainment, managing Lusardi’s pantomime production, told the Daily Mail that she was making no comment on the incident. But he added: “Everybody’s human and we don’t all run like robots.”

The show eventually started around half an hour late.

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