by Sarah Shaffi

Ambulance call-outs as 2009 turned into 2010 increased compared to the previous year.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust dealt with 61 calls in the six hours between 10pm on New Year’s Eve and 4am on New Year’s Day, compared to 48 in the same period between 2008 and 2009.

A large number of the calls were to people who had fallen over, were suffering from breathing difficulties or had been injured in fights and assaults.

Across Kent, Surrey and Sussex the service received 1,080 calls, an average of three every minute and an increase of more than 100 on the year before.

The service’s chief executive Paul Sutton said: “New Year’s Eve is always one our busiest nights of the year.

"Every year we have robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver a safe, timely and quality service to our patients, despite the fact that so many more people than usual are calling us for help.

I’d like to thank every member of staff, many of whom gave up their own time to work additional hours during this busy night and throughout the festive period.

"Their hard work and commitment, along with the support of many volunteers such as community first responders, ensured we were able to provide an excellent service to the patients of Surrey, Sussex and Kent on one of the busiest nights of the year.”