British police drink tea with lonely elderly couple

MANCHESTER, England, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Officers in Middleton responded to a 999 call from an elderly couple who claimed they were lonely by going to their house and sharing a cup of tea.

The two officers spent 30 minutes talking and drinking tea with the elderly couple and even tweeted about the call.

"Just dealt with a 95 year old couple who called the police as they were lonely," a tweet from the Greater Manchester Police Twitter account read. "What else could we do but make them a brew and have a chat?"

The officers were steadfast in their decision and defended their actions when questioned whether or not officers should spend time on such calls.

"We've got to look after people as well, it's not just fighting crime, it's protecting people in whatever situation they find themselves," Officer Andy Richardson told BBC News.

Fred Thomson, the elderly man who made the call, expressed his gratitude to the officers for offering their time.

"You feel somebody cares and oh that does matter...simple things they talk about, nothing very special but they showed that they cared by being there and talking to you," he said.