EMERGENCY services had one of their busiest New Years on record.

Ambulance, fire brigade and police were inundated with calls throughout New Year's Eve and the morning of the new Millennium.

But it seems the level of 999 calls was not as high as had previously been expected by emergency services chiefs.

Hard-pressed Greater Manchester Ambulance Service took 1,115 calls between 6pm on New Year's Eve until 6am the following morning.

Bury and Whitefield fire stations dealt with around 16 call-outs between them from 7pm on New Year's Eve until 9am on January 1.

Station Officer Paul Myserscough of Bury fire station said: "It wasn't as busy as we had expected it to be."

Meanwhile, during the New Year's Eve-New Year's morning period, local police dealt with a level of calls equivalent to 80 per cent of a normal working day.

Inspector Steve Clark said: "Up until 1am it was quite quiet but from 2am onwards it started to get busy.

"From 2-3am, in Bury, we took more than 20 calls." Most involved assaults and damage.

Traffic officers enjoyed a quiet start to the new millennium.

From New Year's Eve until January 3, they dealt with just 10 accidents, with only one involving injuries.

Sergeant Martin Greenwood said: "The small number of accidents can be explained by the fact there was less traffic on the roads over the New Year period and that motorists are driving more carefully."

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