Ambulance crews across the North West took a call every 10 seconds during a hectic 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: “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.”
A spokesman for Preston fire service said it had a number of call-outs to “a number of false alarms” over the course of the evening but attended no major incidents.
Crews in Bamber Bridge, Penwortham and Leyland also reported quiet evenings.
Mike Billington, manager of the Old Black Bull on Friargate, Preston, said New Year’s Eve was an improvement on 2011.
He said: “There was a bit of a lull around 8pm when the last buses left town but from 9pm through until just before midnight it was quite busy.
“I think a lot of people went to nightclubs to see in the New Year.”
Comments