Emergency services were inundated with 600 calls an hour last night as revellers up and down Britain drank in 2012 . Paramedics were stretched to the limit and in Cambridge a Territorial Army field hospital was set-up to deal with drunk partygoers . The London Ambulance Service said at the peak they were dealing with over 600 calls per hour which is more than three times as many as on a normal night . MANCHESTER : A man collapses on the pavement next to an ambulance as two revellers walk past eating a late night takeaway . MANCHESTER : A man is stood slumped over in a doorway as two women walk by as they celebrate the New Year . As people made their way home after seeing in 2012 , city centres descended into violence as fights broke out and revellers collapsed on the pavements . Ambulance crews in London had answered 2,333 calls by 4am this morning while the Metropolitan Police said they had made 77 arrests . Staff were answering 10 calls every minute just after midnight and 55 people in the capital were taken to hospital . NEWCASTLE : Happy New Year ! A man is thrown into the back of a police van , head over heels , by three officers . BRISTOL : A group of young women , including Ellie Tavener , 19 , celebrate the New Year in Bristol in the early hours of the morning . The busiest hour was between 2am and 3am when 638 calls were answered . This is more than three times the average of 180 . Ambulance service call outs in London peaked at more than 600 per hour - over three times as many as in an ordinary night . The busiest hour was between 2am and 3am when 638 calls were received . Midnight - 1am : 527 . 1am - 2am : 629 . 2am - 3am : 638 . 3am - 4am : 539 . However , officers said the crowds were largely good-humoured as an estimated 250,000 people packed The Embankment to watch the fireworks at midnight . The majority of the arrests were for assault and being drunk and disorderly . Scotland Yard had 3,000 officers on duty both at street level and on podiums to give them a bird's-eye view of any troublemakers in the crowds . In the Capital fireworks were launched from Big Ben itself for the first time at midnight to coincide with each strike of the bell . Big crowds were also seen in other cities , including in Edinburgh for the Hogmanay street party attended by some 80,000 people . More than 20 acts were playing on seven stages ahead of the midnight fireworks display . NEWCASTLE : Two young women head out as they mark the start of 2012 . COLLAPSE : One woman slumps over the steps clutching a bottle of wine . Assistant Director of Operations John . Hopson , who led the Service ’ s response on New Year ’ s Eve , said : 'Demand . on the Service in the early hours was extremely high and a lot of that . extra demand was because of alcohol-related calls . 'At the busiest point of the night , . our staff were taking 638 emergency calls an hour – that ’ s an increase . of 255per cent on what they would expect to deal with on a normal . night . ' 'We had to prioritise calls to make . sure the most seriously ill and injured patients got help as quickly as . possible – that meant more patients than normal with minor illnesses and . injuries were given advice over the telephone rather than automatically . being sent an ambulance . ' Metropolitan Police Chief . Superintendent Julia Pendry said : 'The spectacle of New Year 's Eve in . central London attracts many thousands of people every year . NEWCASTLE : Two young women head out on the own to celebrate the start of 2012 . CAMBRIDGE : A New Year reveller drinks some water as she is helped by TA volunteers in a tent hospital after a night out celebrating . 'This year is particularly special with the UK playing host to the 2012 Olympic Games and the Queens Diamond Jubilee . 'We saw very large crowds converge on . central London , especially in and around the viewing areas where people . came to get a good view of the world class firework display . 'Such large crowds create a. challenging policing environment and our officers worked hard , alongside . the stewards , to keep people safe and ensure they could get home again . at the end of the night . 'Crowds were good humoured and there were no major issues reported to police . 'Our officers will continue to work . into the night to aid peoples return home safely , to ensure the area . returns to normality and roads can reopen to make way for the New Year 's . Day parade . ' MANCHESTER : A young woman with a huge pair of high heels gets into a car as she chats away to a friend on her mobile phone . CARDIFF : Partygoers brave the rain last night as they mark the start of 2012 . LIVERPOOL : Two men fight in the city centre as police officers try and break it up . LIVERPOOL : A woman out celebrating the New Year tries on a police officer 's hat as she poses for a jokey picture . BRISTOL : Revellers out in Bristol celebrate the start of 2012 .
77 people arrested in Britain as 3,000 police officers flood the streets . Ambulance crews in the capital receive 2,333 calls .