A 999 call every seven seconds as emergency services battle to cope

VIOLENCE marred New Year celebrations in London as ambulance staff struggled to cope with a surge in emergency calls on what proved to be their second busiest night since the turn of the millennium.

The ambulance service answered calls at a rate of one every seven seconds and 110 people were arrested across the capital.

But most celebrations were peaceful with an estimated 700,000 people on the streets for the midnight fireworks. Transport chiefs said there were only minor delays on the Tube network.

The ambulance service blamed excessive drinking for a "chaotic" night. It dealt with 1,761 calls between midnight and 4am yesterday - most alcohol related - and staff in its control room had to be doubled. There were 1,825 calls in the same period on the previous New Year's Eve, with only the millennium celebrations recording more - 2,233.

Staff sought to minimise the impact of such a high volume of calls by treating many in special "booze buses". Spokesman Alistair Drummond said: "People should not be drinking so much that they wake up in hospital."

A 20-year-old man had hospital treatment for a three-inch gash on the back of his head after being hit with a bottle in a Camden bar early yesterday. Police are seeking witnesses. In Woolwich, a man was stabbed in the head with a bottle and in Westminster another was left unconscious with head injuries during a disturbance at a bar, where three men were arrested.

In nearby Edgware Road, police were called when up to seven men began fighting with bottles. No arrests were made.

In Loughton, Essex, two men were arrested for attempted murder after a 47-year-old man was stabbed in the eye and back during a brawl at a social club, where there were 600 rowdy revellers.

In total 110 people were arrested on the night, the alleged crimes including 18 assaults, 39 public order offences and one allegation of sexual assault.

Some 3,300 officers were needed to police the show - which included a 200ft image of London Mayor Boris Johnson delivering a New Year message from the side of a South Bank office block and culminated in a 12-minute fireworks display at the London Eye.

Among the crowds, Colombian students Yadica Guerreo, 26, and Johana Sosa, 21, said being there was a "dream come true". Joelle Peeters, 43, and her son Tom, 12, had travelled from Brussels. She said: "I love the fireworks. We spent the last two New Years in Paris but this was far better."

Superintendent Brian Pearce said: "The nature of New Year's Eve in central London has changed. What used to be a relatively low-key, spontaneous night is now a world-class event."