DRUNKEN revellers kept North-East ambulance workers busy over New Year with hundreds of alcohol-related 999 calls.

The North-East Ambulance Service, which covers County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, reported an busy New Year period, with 1,362 calls being made.

Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Tenyas) had three times the normal number of calls. The majority of calls for both services were for drink and drug incidents, falls, assaults, traffic accidents, breathing difficulties and chest pain.

The North-East Ambulance Service's control room took 494 calls from noon until midnight on New Year's Eve and 868 calls from midnight until noon on New Year's Day. Its busiest days were December 20, when 943 calls were received and December 27, when 947 calls were taken.

The Tenyas control room took 646 calls in the first 24 hours of 2003, compared to 712 in the same period last year, with 428 of those between midnight and 6am on New Year's Day.

Tim Lynch, director of patient services for Tenyas, said: "We had extra crews, control room staff and managers on duty and staff dealt extremely well with the huge increase of calls, many of which were alcohol-related."

Paul Liversidge, director of accident and emergency services for the North-East Ambulance Service, said: "I would like to thank all of our staff in coping with a remarkably high number of calls over the whole festive period and in particular the New Year period as demand dramatically increased."