London Ambulance Service (LAS) has warned partygoers against binge drinking as prepares to deal with more than 7,000 emergency calls this New Year’s Eve.

Parties across the capital to ring in 2018 are expected to generate some 2,000 extra calls for paramedics than during a normal 24-hour period.

LAS is drafting in extra control room and support staff to cope with the demand of what is expected to be its busiest night of the year.

Deputy director of operations, Pauline Cranmer, said: “We’ve been planning all year for New Year’s Eve – the busiest day of the year for the ambulance service.

“As well as more call takers answering hundreds more emergency calls, we will have extra ambulance crews on London’s streets responding to patients who need our help.”

The service said much of the increase in demand is caused by partygoers who drink so much they become ill or injure themselves.

Ms Cranmer added: “We normally see an increase in demand around 9pm on New Year’s Eve reaching a peak between 1am and 4am on New Year’s Day.

“We want Londoners to have a great time this New Year but not get so drunk they need our help.

“Too often our ambulance crews can spend much of their night caring for people who are vomiting, violent or unconscious after a night out drinking, leaving our staff unable to respond to other emergencies.

“Nobody wants to end up in A&E vomiting, injured or unconscious, so please take care of yourselves and your friends.”

As well as responding to hundreds more patients across the capital, LAS will have medics working alongside St John Ambulance volunteers inside the cordoned central London event area.

A special operations room is set up to respond to 999 calls in the event area and medics are dispatched on foot, carrying lifesaving equipment usually found in an ambulance on their backs.