SOUTH East Coast Ambulance Service emergency call takers, who handle 999 calls across Surrey, Sussex and Kent, dealt with nearly three calls a minute during the last hours of 2008 and first hours of 2009.
Between 10pm on New Year's Eve and 4am on New Year's Day, the service received nearly 1,000 emergency calls – way above the average number of calls received on other days during the same time period, which is around one emergency call every minute.
Most calls received on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were because of people falling over, suffering from breathing difficulties or being injured in fights and assaults.
Paul Sutton, Chief Executive of the service and a paramedic himself who worked in the Brighton area on New Year's Eve, said: "New Year's Eve is always one our busiest nights of the year.
"We plan for it every year to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver a safe and responsive service to our patients, despite the fact that so many more people than usual are calling us for help.
"I'd like to thank our staff, many of whom gave up their own time to work additional hours during this very busy night; 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."
