With final lockdown restrictions lifted and Brits still holidaying at home, emergency services across the UK warn of "unprecedented" pressure on control rooms this summer as staycations boom.

As part of a campaign for people to use free location software, Lincolnshire Police is promoting the experience of county couple Paul and Anne Osborne.

Paul Osborne from Ruskington, north of Grantham, has pulmonary fibrosis and was out walking with his wife Anne and their dog during the height of lockdown when he suddenly collapsed.

They're both avid users of what3words, and knew exactly what to do when they called the emergency services.

Paul said: ""My wife and I swear by what3words. Back in January, while we were in the midst of the national lockdown, I started a 1000 mile virtual walk, walking five miles a day from Ruskington in Lincolnshire to Pisa in Italy.

"I use what3words to identify each virtual destination so people can follow me on my journey. However, five days in I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a lung disease that affects my breathing.

"I didn't let this stop me, and thankfully my consultant approved me to carry on walking and I decided to raise money to support Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis."

Paul continued: "In June, my wife Anne and I went out for a walk with our dog in the forest. I've got to be really careful of Covid, so we went early in the morning so that we could avoid the crowds.

"As we were walking I started to feel heavy-chested and had some trouble breathing. Despite this, my oximeter said my oxygen levels were stable. I continued slowly but eventually collapsed to the ground. It was really frightening, we were at least half a mile away from the car with no way to get back. I didn't know what was happening, or if I was going to be stuck there for ages. We had to do anything to get help.

"We found our what3words location and dialled 999. Within 20 minutes a rescue ambulance arrived along with a fire crew to tackle the undergrowth.

"I was taken to the hospital, put under oscillation and had some blood tests and x-rays. Had it been any more serious, the 20 minutes that it took them to reach me would have been crucial."

PCSO Michelle Collins from Lincolnshire Police supports the use of what3words.

She said: "We're preparing for a summer like we haven't seen before. At the moment it's like a permanent bank holiday with the amount of people staying and visiting our coast.

"With tough restrictions on international travel, this year, millions of people will choose to holiday in the UK. The wave of visitors to rural and remote areas is going to make emergency calls more frequent.

"By downloading what3words, you're helping us help you – we can quickly identify exactly where you are, saving resources and precious time."

To help locate individuals in need this summer, emergency services are urging the public to familiarise themselves and download the free app.

Currently used by over 85% of emergency services in the UK, what3words has divided the world into a grid of three-metre squares and given each square a unique three word address – ///marathons.trailers.shave for example will take you to Kynance Cove on the south coast of Cornwall. Providing a what3words address ensures that services know exactly where to locate the caller.

Police say 89% of emergency services have said the app is an essential tool for the public to have on their phones this summer, as nearly half (42%) of emergency call operators said that individuals struggle to describe the location of their emergency at least once per day.

This becomes especially apparent in rural areas - popular summer staycation spots - without traditional street addresses, such as beaches and national parks, where locations are often challenging to describe.

Some 74% of emergency services agreed that what3words cuts response times when it matters the most, with one control room reporting that the app saved their team more than 10 minutes, on average.

With the 750,000 emergency services calls that have been made this year so far, the potential minutes saved when responding - an important factor - is significant.

Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words added: "what3words is a valuable tool, both for emergency services and members of the public.

"It's useful for organising meet-up locations on parks and beaches, but also provides the peace of mind of knowing that you and your family will always be able to tell emergency services exactly where to go. We hope that people enjoy venturing off the beaten track this summer, but do so safely."

Around the world, emergency call centres are embracing what3words at a rapid pace, with control rooms in the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Singapore, Canada, India, and South Africa all utilising the innovative technology, and urging the public to download the app.

As well as using the app for emergencies, people are using what3words every day to meet up with friends at parks and on beaches, to share great running and hiking locations, and to share sports match locations with their teams.

what3words has also been built into in-car sat navs including Mercedes-Benz and Ford, enabling drivers to enter any destination with just three words.

Companies such as Premier Inn and Lonely Planet use what3words to help travellers find the right hotel entrance or hard-to-find restaurant, and logistics brands like AO.com and Hermes use it to deliver goods exactly where they're needed.