London Ambulance Service (LAS) is preparing for one of its busiest nights of the year on 31 December 2025, with almost 140 additional staff working, more ambulances on the road and extra people in its control rooms and clinical hubs1. The service said it will also open its dedicated special operations centre to coordinate and dispatch resources, and that its event team will work closely with police and Transport for London throughout the night1. The announcement was published on 30 December 20251.
The service said New Year's Eve is an evening when it traditionally sees up to 2,000 more calls than the daily average, and that during the peak time between 1am and 2am on New Year's Day last year a 999 call was received every 10 seconds1. Some of the additional staff will patrol the ticketed area in central London where thousands of people are expected at the Mayor of London's celebrations1. Alcohol-related 999 calls are expected to rise during the night1.
The festive period has already been busy. LAS said it saw its busiest November on record, with 999 call handlers taking 192,600 calls, over 13,000 more than the same month last year1. On the last weekend of November it received around 7,500 999 calls each day for three consecutive days, figures normally seen on New Year's Eve itself1. The service attributed the recent spike to the combined impact of wintry weather and rising rates of viral infections and respiratory illnesses, including flu1.
Strategic Commander Becky Owen, overseeing the service's operations on New Year's Eve, said:
"There will be more ambulances on the road and staff in our control rooms overnight on 31 December"
The service also reported figures, released earlier in December, showing 59 physical attacks and 96 verbally abusive incidents towards its crews and call handlers during December last year, and said drink and drugs contribute to around 40 per cent of violent incidents against crews and call handlers1. Body worn cameras are being made available to those working at the celebrations to deter violence and capture evidence of abuse1.
Why it matters for households
The additional cover applies overnight on 31 December into 1 January in London1. LAS advises people who are drinking alcohol to have something to eat beforehand, stay hydrated with water or soft drinks and plan their journey home, and to wrap up warmly as it is forecast to be cold; it notes that alcohol can make people feel a false sense of warmth even though they are getting dangerously cold1. The service asks the public to save 999 for life-threatening emergencies, and says that for urgent but not life-threatening problems NHS 111 online can help find the right care1. It adds that many urgent treatment centres stay open 24 hours a day for conditions including sprains, broken limbs and minor scalds and burns, and that advice and medication is available from pharmacies, with the NHS pharmacy finder showing which are open nearby1. For information on how official warnings and service updates are issued, see the staying informed hub.
What happens next
The additional resources and the special operations centre are in place overnight on 31 December 20251. LAS said 999 calls are recorded and that it will work with police to bring prosecutions and push for strong penalties for anyone who assaults or abuses its staff1.
