New Year celebrated as paramedics face busy night
Paramedics faced a busy night as the new year started with a bang.
West Midlands Ambulance Service responded to 102 calls in Shropshire on one of its busiest nights of the year.
Ambulance bosses say the start of 2014 saw demand increase to an average of four 999 calls every minute.
A large proportion of them were alcohol-related and included assaults, overdoses, road traffic collisions and falls.
Chief Executive Anthony Marsh said: "New Year's Eve is traditionally the busiest night of the year for the ambulance service.
"This year has been no exception and I am immensely proud of the way the service has dealt with the surge in 999 calls."
Meanwhile, thousands of people across Shropshire and Mid Wales partied their way into 2014.
A string of events took place across the region last night to help people ring in the new year in style.
Many people headed to pubs and nightclubs to celebrate the new year, while others held private functions in their homes.
In Shrewsbury, people headed to the Buttermarket which was open from 10pm to 4am.
In Market Drayton, the Royal British Legion hosted a party at its headquarters in Church Street, from 7pm until late.
More than 100 tickets had been sold prior to the event, which featured a four-piece band from the Midlands called The Relix. Dave Erwin, one of the organisers, said: "It went very well.
"The entertainment was good, people had a few drinks and they were dancing.
"We sold about 115 tickets which is better than last year but down on previous years when we have had 150 to 160. I think that's down to times being tough and the economic situation we are in."
Millions of people across the UK celebrated the start of 2014 with spectacular fireworks displays, music and parties.
Tens of thousands of people lined the banks of the River Thames as the chimes of Big Ben rang in the new year in the capital, while an estimated 80,000 descended on Edinburgh for its famous Hogmanay street party. Fireworks events also took place in Cardiff and Belfast, while Londonderry marked its final hours as the UK City of Culture in 2013 with a cathedral service.
