VOLUNTEERS working on Colchester’s SOS Bus treated the lowest number of drunken casualties on New Years’ Eve night in five years.

That’s despite the region’s ambulance service receiving around 30 per cent more calls in the early hours of New Years’ Day, compared to last year.

Figures released by the East of England Ambulance Trust showed over the 24 hours from midnight on January 1 it took 4,683 calls.

The year before it took to 3,592 calls regionally, during the same time period.

But Steve Wood, service manager at Open Road, the charity which operates the SOS Bus, said revellers were more responsible than had been expected.

He said: “It was one of the quietest New Years’ we have had for about five years.

“We only had 15 separate attendees for the bus for whole night.”

Five of those needed medical assistance on the bus, for example if they had fallen over and had cuts that required stitches.

Without the bus four of those people may well have attended Colchester Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.

A fifth person did have to be referred to A&E due to a dental injury.

Mr Wood said four other people were picked up by bus volunteers having been spotted in need in of help on town centre pavements.

He said all were alone.

“They were quite heavily intoxicated. If we hadn’t have been there, these types of people might have panicked and called an ambulance.”

They were taken back to the bus and cared for before a relative or friend was called to fetch them.

If there was no way of contacting anyone, the bus took them home.

Mr Wood said in previous years up to 30 people were treated by bus volunteers and pointed this year’s improvement being down to police and licensees working better together to reduce problems with binge drinkers on Colchester’s streets.

He added: “In the last six months the police and licensees have been working really hard to make sure they don’t get into clubs too intoxicated.

“Those sorts of people are being rejected and on their way home earlier.

“It is brilliant if that is working and that is the cause. I think everyone is working together.”

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust confirmed had been “very busy” in A&E on New Years’ Eve but attendances were not exceptional compared to previous years.