New Year, same binge Britain

disorderly and dishevelled as they stumbled out of bars and clubs.

There was carnage in Britain’s major cities – including London, Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham – as revellers came out in force, despite the grim weather in some areas.

It was a busy night for the emergency services, with some reporting a huge spike in the number of calls they received.

Helping hand ... a couple frolick in Swansea

Athena Pictures

On the tiles ... two revellers in Liverpool in the early hours of this morning

Mercury Press & Media

Tipsy ... a young woman takes a break in Newcastle city centre.

North News & Pictures

The Metropolitan Police said that officers had made 96 arrests across the capital by 3.45am relating to the New Year’s Eve celebrations, mainly for being drunk, public order offences and assault.

Calls to West Midlands Ambulance Service peaked between 1am and 4am, with a total of 1,291 calls between midnight and 5am, a 9 per cent increase on the same period last year.

Start it with a kiss ... girl plants New Year's smacker on bobby in Liverpool

Mercury Press & Media

Felled in brawl ... reveller is held by pal after being injured in a fight

Mercury Press & Media

A spokeswoman said a large proportion of this year’s calls were for alcohol-related incidents including fights, assaults, falls and overdoses.

One incident in Stourbridge, West Mids, saw four people rescued from a river after three friends tried to help a drunken teenage girl from the water after she fell down a bank just after 8pm.