Great party … shame about the mess

Published on Friday 1 January 2010 21:59

THE New Year clean-up began in earnest yesterday, after thousands of revellers enjoyed a successful Hogmanay in Scotland's big cities.

And with the world-famous Edinburgh Street Party raking n an estimated 30 million in revenue for Scotland, organisers last night hailed the "extraordinary" success of the event.

About 350 Lothian and Borders Police officers kept watch on the crowd, making only four arrests during the evening, all for breach of the peace.

A crowd of 80,000 people welcomed the New Year at the capital's huge outdoor celebration.

Eighties chart-toppers Madness, The Noisettes and Codeine Velvet Club headlined the musical acts in Princes Street Gardens, while elsewhere the crowd partied to DJ sets by Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian and The Enemy.

Four-and-a-half tonnes of fireworks – as well as a spectacular laser display – lit up the sky as the sound of Auld Lang Syne filled the night air.

Pete Irvine, creative director for Edinburgh's Hogmanay, said: "It was an extraordinary night in Edinburgh. There was brilliant music, a magical fireworks display against a full moon sky and the dramatic castle slopes dotted with snow, and a friendly and euphoric atmosphere that you won't find anywhere else in the world."

Early yesterday morning, more than 50 street-cleaning staff began the task of removing 30 tonnes of litter from Edinburgh city centre.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Mike McCormick said: "We have been delighted with the behaviour and attitude of revellers in Edinburgh this Hogmanay."

He added: "Only four arrests were made by our officers on scene, and we would like to thank the public for helping to create a fun and memorable event for all concerned.

Ambulance staff were also taking stock of Hogmanay, as they reported their busiest night of the year, dealing with more than 2,200 calls during the New Year celebrations – up 5 per cent on the previous year.

Edinburgh experienced a big increase in calls this year, with a 20 per cent rise in call volumes. But A&E staff in Scotland said that many hospitals appeared to be slightly less busy as the cold weather helped to keep people at home.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Hogmanay is always our busiest night, and this year was no different as we dealt with a high volume of calls across the country.

"Activity at times was intense, with most of the calls occurring between 2am and 4am," said the spokesman.

"All staff on duty last night had to cope with an exceptional workload – and they did so admirably."

Edinburgh's Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre dealt with 907 calls between midnight and 7am, up from 757 last year.

Elsewhere, the Cardonald centre handled 971 calls, down from 1,090 last year, while calls at Inverness rose from 294 to 369.

Hospitals across Scotland experienced a busy Hogmanay night, with alcohol-related injuries taking up the bulk of their time.

Dr Jennifer Devine, an associate specialist in emergency medicine working in Glasgow, said A&E staff had still had to deal with many drunk patients, who had suffered falls or been in fights.

Dr Devine, working in Glasgow's Stobhill Hospital yesterday, said: "The patient comes here and then the family follow on, and they are all arguing with each other.

"You call the wife to come and collect them, and when she arrives she is just as drunk as he is and they have a barney. We had two of those this morning."

She added: "Most of what we have seen have been assaults. We've had a stabbing. We have had people with abdominal pain, which is alcohol related as well."

Meanwhile, hundreds of skiers took advantage of the bank holiday snow, shunning the Alps and other more exclusive resorts as they took to the slopes of CairnGorm Mountain.

Bosses at the resort said that, over the four-day Christmas period they had had more than 8,000 skiers and snowboarders – including 800 on Hogmanay alone.

Already, more than 15,000 skiers have headed to the resort since it opened at the beginning of December – putting it well on course to beat 2009's season of 63,000.