Ambulance crews in across the region had a call every 10 seconds during a busy New Year’s Eve.
The North West Ambulance Service said it received 546 calls to its 999 hotline from people requiring serious and life-threatening incidents between midnight and 7am on New Year’s Day.
In total, they received 2,265 calls during the period.
Derek Cartwright, director of emergency services, said this included at least 17 serious assaults, “numerous” car crashes, two incidents involving firework injuries and a number of inappropriate calls, including one requesting a paramedic to take a dog’s temperature.
He said: “The service always expects a high increase in demand during this time; however we anticipate this surge and managed it appropriately by increasing resources.
“This included an additional 13 Rapid Response vehicles, more than 50 extra Emergency Ambulances and extra staff within the Trust’s three Emergency Control Centres.”
He added the service was “disappointed” to receive inappropriate calls despite pleas from the public.
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