Ambulance crews in Essex dealt with the busiest weekend of the year with almost as many calls coming in as last New Year's Eve.

Teams from Essex Ambulance Service dealt with 371 calls on Friday night, just 29 fewer than on New Year's Eve.

The number of calls rapidly increased over the weekend with 549 calls on the previous Thursday and 628 calls coming in this Thursday.

On Friday, 627 calls came into the centre, an increase of 51 on the previous week and on Saturday, crews had 734 calls, 71 more than the previous Saturday night.

Calls yesterday had also increased, with staff dealing with 654 calls, 67 more than the previous week.

Essex Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh, said: "We have seen a large increase in calls over the last 12 months or so, but this weekend was exceptional."

He urged people to think carefully before calling 999, saying: "80 per cent of the 999 calls we receive are not genuine life-threatening emergencies."

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Published Monday, December 13, 2004

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