Booze buses across London are prepared to deal with a night of drunken mayhem this Friday.
Black Friday (December 19) is the biggest drinking night of the year and, unsurprisingly, is one of the busiest times for the London Ambulance Service (LAS) due to a huge rise in the number of alcohol-related calls.
Despite hopes that the service’s Party People campaign will encourage Londoners to celebrate sensibly this festive season, the LAS will get into the Christmas spirit early by running emergency services over the course of three days.
Five alcohol recovery centres in Kingston, Croydon, Soho, Liverpool Street and Romford will be set up and specially-adapted ambulances will be on call.
Deputy Director of Operations, Kevin Brown, said: “We hope people will see our Party People campaign and think twice about over doing it with alcohol this year.
“But sadly, we know from experience, that hundreds of Londoners will end their night in the back of an ambulance this party season.”
The LAS attended 6,194 alcohol-related incidents in December 2013, 5.4% more than in the previous holiday season, with the most frequent callers being those aged 25-29.
Picture courtesy of Captain Roger Fenton 9th. West Middlesex VRC. 1860, with thanks
