A man has been charged with 'assaulting an emergency service worker' in north Norfolk.

The incident happened in Fakenham town centre outside The Crown Hotel on Saturday, December 29 at around 1am

The 29-year-old man was charged the following day with assaulting an emergency worker, common assault, and a public order offence.

North Norfolk police officers for Norfolk Constabulary took to Twitter to warn others about the dangers of irresponsible drinking.

A tweet posted on Saturday, December 29, said: 'Enjoy the licensed premises in Fakenham but #drinkresponsibly.'

James Neal, of Fulmodeston Road, Hindolveston, has been charged for the three offences and will face trial at Kings Lynn Magistrates Court on Friday, January 25.

Sergent Mark Timmins said: 'A police officer and another member of public received minor injuries as a result of the incident.

'My team and I will be patrolling Fakenham as well as the surrounding towns and villages on New Year's Eve, ensuring everyone can enjoy the evening with their friends and family safely. However as this latest incident portrays, if your behaviour starts to compromise the enjoyment and safety of others we will deal with this conduct positively.'

It is a criminal offence to assault workers including police, paramedics, firefighters, prison officers, search and rescue personnel and custody officers.

Earlier this year, new laws were introduced which meant prison sentences could be doubled for people who attacked emergency service workers.

The current six-month maximum sentence for common assault was doubled to a year for the new crime created by the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill, which was given royal assent in September.