An influx of Freedom of Information (FoI) requests has prompted a council request for people to call their councillors first.

Councillor Geoffrey Samuel, deputy leader of Richmond Council, asked people to try other avenues when they had questions for the local authority.

The council currently spends up to £120,000 a year answering FoI requests.

In the first three months of this year Richmond Council received 250 requests, with questions on a number of topics, including What is the council’s policy on building snowmen?