The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is gearing up for a busy night as people prepare to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Last year EEAST received 3,828 calls across the six counties it covers at New Year and Neil Storey, director of emergency operations at EEAST, is urging people to act responsibly.

'We always see a spike in the number of calls to the service at New Year and we can anticipate that many of them will be alcohol related,' Mr Storey said.

'We aren't party-poopers but being called to people because they've had too much to drink is putting people with genuine medical emergencies at risk.

'Excessive drinking can make people extremely vulnerable and tempted to behave recklessly which can lead to serious injuries, but more often it means our staff are sent to help people who are drunk.

'We are often called to people who are on their own, lying on the pavement in very vulnerable situations but a good night out shouldn't mean ending up in A&E or in the back of an ambulance being revived by highly skilled clinicians.'

EEAST has published tips for people to follow and guard against their New Year night being ruined.

These include, dressing warmly, eating before drinking to help soak up alcohol, alternating soft drinks with alcoholic ones to keep you hydrated, planning your journey home in advance and staying with friends.

For more advice, go to www.eastamb.nhs.uk