AMBULANCE crews dealt with a ten per cent rise in emergency calls due to a combination of icy weather and revellers drinking in the New Year.

Town centres throughout the area were described as extremely busy and bubbly by the emergency services.

Few serious incidents were reported although one person was assaulted in an attack in Blackburn.

The ambulance service dealt with 383 emergency calls across the county from 7.30pm to 6am, slightly more than ten per cent up on last year.

Control room manager Damian Jolly commented: "We have had a pasting to be honest with all areas across the county being busy.

"In East Lancashire we have been busy with a lot of falls and assaults showing that beer and ice don't mix.

"There have been quite a few incidents in which people have fallen on the ice and banged their head or face."

Despite worries about pubs having extended licences to open for 36 hours to see in the New Year, police said that there was no more trouble than usual.

Drinkers were still roaming the streets of Blackburn at 6am today but police say that on the whole people acted sensibly.

Inspector Stuart Little, of Blackburn Police, said: "Last night we made about 15 drink-related arrests but this isn't any different to past years.

"The extended licence worked well because normally you get people drinking as much as they can before they know they are going to be thrown out of the pub.

"This year people paced themselves because they knew they had got all night."

A spokesman for the Pennine police division which covers Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale said: "It was a busy and bubbly night with nothing untoward happening at all.

"Quite a number of people have been arrested and drunkenness and public order offences but there have been no serious incidents."