REVELLERS have been urged to drink responsibly today as the Yorkshire Ambulance Service prepares for its busiest day of December.

The YAS expects a 30 per cent increase in calls today, as the festive party season reaches the final “Mad Friday” before Christmas, and has urged drinkers only to call for an ambulance in the event of a serious or life-threatening emergency.

Last year, calls to the YAS’s 999 emergency operations centre were up by more than 260 on normal between 6pm and 6am, with a similar rise expected this year.

Dr Julian Mark, the trust’s executive medical director, said: “The high number of calls we receive in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year, particularly on the last Friday before Christmas Day and on New Year’s Eve itself, puts the service under significant pressure and makes it more difficult for us to ensure we can respond to all of our patients quickly.

“Our emergency ambulances are a lifeline in a genuine life-threatening emergency such as a heart attack or stroke, but our staff are often involved in looking after people who have drunk excessively or have sustained alcohol-fuelled injuries which could have been avoided.

"We’re certainly not trying to stop people enjoying a night out, but ask that they drink sensibly to avoid the need to call 999 and keep ambulances available for those with a genuine need.”

People are advised to plan how they will get home before they go out, consider lower-strength drinks and singles rather than doubles when drinking spirits, and alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water.

Anyone requiring treatment or advice for a minor illness or injury is also reminded of more appropriate healthcare services available to them, such as self-care, pharmacists, GP surgeries, urgent care centres or NHS 111.