Busiest Christmas for ambulances

Ambulance crews in Yorkshire have reported their busiest Christmas ever, receiving more than 17,000 emergency calls over the festive period.

The service said it had experienced a 4% increase in 999 calls over the Christmas period compared with 2005.

Between 22 December and 1 January, there were 17,761 emergency calls made for ambulances. More than a quarter were for breathing problems and falls.

A spokesman said it appeared the number of inappropriate 999 calls had dropped.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust's operations director John Darley said: "This has been our busiest Christmas ever.

"We did see a small increase in the number of emergency calls made, though we had made plans to deal with a much greater volume of calls."