Shropshire's night of paramedics and paralytics

Health bosses have praised staff and volunteers for their hard work on what was one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services.

They also revealed that a number of hoax calls had been made to West Midlands Ambulance Service, which covers Shropshire, as the region celebrated and call operators had been victim to verbal abuse.

As the new year approached, paramedics took to social media to provide an insight into the type of calls they had received.

One woman called 999 after her friend had fallen on the dance floor and hurt her wrist.

Paramedics were also called when a man had been punched in the face and become unconscious. Another post said: "Call to a house party which hasn't ended well for one girl.

"She's been hit in the face by a slamming door and has got a head injury."

Emergency services were called when a man fell over after coming out of the pub. Crews tweeted: "He's had a few drinks and has banged his head in a fall."

Another man was suffering with chest pain but was "incredibly drunk" and paramedics found him "difficult to understand".

Later in the night, a woman dialled 999 after falling over a plant pot and banging her head.

A post on Twitter said: "She's clearly drunk. Her friend says she's taking her to A&E."

Chief executive Anthony Marsh, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "The plans and preparations for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day have once again been second to none.

"Thank you to staff and volunteers," he added.

Revellers were urged to remember that 999 was for "life-threatening" emergencies, not for hangovers or "aching feet from dance floor antics", as they tried to cut down on the number of calls. Another post said: "Ambulances are for life-threatening emergencies, they're not there to take you home at the end of the night. Don't even call to ask."