*New year, same old binge Britain: Arctic weather fails to stop drunken revellers causing chaos on streets of UK *
Everyone has their own way of seeing in the New Year. Hundreds of thousands thronged central London for the traditional firework spectacular, while simultaneous displays entertained revellers across the country. For the vast majority that, and the company of good friends, was enough. [image: Newcastle] A girl lies flat on her back in the snow in the middle of a Newcastle road after celebrating the start of 2010 [image: Newcastle] Dragged up by her shoulders, the girl appears totally helpless as a scantily-dressed friend looks on But for too many others, the name of the game was to drink to the point of oblivion. The Noughties will be remembered for terrorist attacks, war, recession and the continued rise of binge drinking. The latter was all too evident on the streets of our cities as young drinkers ushered in a new decade in the only way they seem to know. For one, the beginning of 2010 came and went face down in a snow-covered street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. [image: Newcastle] Face-off: A bare-chested man in Newcastle gestures to a man in a Santa hat Three friends unsuccessfully tried to help the paralytic woman, wearing a mini-skirt and heels, to her feet. Elsewhere in the town, bonhomie was suspended when a man pulled off his shirt to square up to another man wearing a Santa hat. [image: Bristol] Step this way, sir: Drunken revellers spill onto the streets of Bristol following a night of partying [image: London] Subdued: Police in London restrain a member of the public during the New Year's Eve celebrations In Cambridge, Territorial Army soldiers from 254 Medical Regiment – some of whom have served in Iraq – set up a tent between 9pm and 4am to take pressure off the local accident and emergency department. Dozens of partygoers, some unable to stand or speak, had wounds dressed or were hooked up to drips to rehydrate them following violent vomiting. [image: New Year's Eve in Southampton] [image: New Year's Eve in Southampton] Crazy night: In the city of Southampton clubbers cling together (left) while a reveller ends up on the wrong side of the law (right) [image: New Year's Eve in Cambridge] Helping hand: The TA in a field hospital help a teenage girl with a foot injury in Cambridge Three women in skimpy outfits were treated for hypothermia after temperatures dropped to -3c. A temporary A&E room was also set up in Birmingham city centre where volunteer nurses and doctors tried to stem the tide of revellers who would otherwise have gone to hospital. These scenes unfolded on the same day it emerged Labour’s introduction of 24-hour drinking and the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets has seen the cost of treating alcohol-related injuries and illnesses almost double to £2.7billion. [image: Norwich] [image: Cambridge] Excess: A drunken girl in Norwich slumps as police look on (L) and revellers in Cambridge ride in a trolley (R) [image: Birmingham] Blanket on, shoes on: A reveller in Birmingham sleeps it off in the hospital [image: Cardiff] Too much: A paramedic helps a young woman in Cardiff who has fallen ill For the vast majority, however, the new decade was ushered in with widespread jollity, albeit in sub-zero temperatures. In London the fireworks extravaganza, centred around the London Eye and broadcast live on the BBC, left 200,000 party-goers agog as Big Ben struck midnight. Other major events included Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh, where 80,000 braved temperatures of -6c (21f), and Glasgow, where 10,000 packed into George Square. The scenes of revelry were replicated around the world. In New York the ‘teenies’ were ushered in by hundreds of thousands who packed into Times Square where 3,000lbs of confetti was scattered overhead, including 10,000 handwritten wishes such as appeals for the safe return of troops. Sydney was treated to fireworks while balloons were released in Tokyo. Paris celebrated by lluminating the Eiffel Tower with a multicoloured light display. In Rio, about two million crammed into a 2.5-mile stretch of Copacabana beach for a party. [image: London] Let's party: In London, some were more focused on fancy dress as 200,000 people took to the streets [image: Edinburgh] High spirits: It was largely good clean fun as the crowds celebrated Hogmanay in Edinburgh [image: Edinburgh] Edinburgh Secrets behind those fabulous fireworks London has built a reputation as one of the world’s greatest venues for New Year’s Eve celebrations. And this year it lived up to expectations once more. Over the course of seven-and-a-half minutes, tens of thousands of fireworks were set off in front of 200,000 people standing behind 7.5 miles of barriers guarded by 1,300 stewards. [image: London Eye] Wheel of fire: The capital's skyline is transformed into a sea of colour for the duration of the seven-and-a-half minute display, which involved 4,500 fireworks A further 50,000 people watched in surrounding streets and millions more on TV. The £313,000 display at the London Eye, which culminated in a spectacular rainbow effect, involved 4,500 pyrotechnic devices at 1,000 launch positions linked by 2.5miles of cabling. [image: London Eye] What an Eye-full: Fireworks were launched from 250 positions on the Eye alone Around 250 launch positions were on the Eye itself, which was also fitted with moving coloured lights in each of its pods. [image: Remember 2000?] Businessman Jason Venables, 31, who had travelled with friends from Reading to watch the display, said: ‘This is the first time I’ve come to see it live and it’s mind-blowing. It’s a fantastic way to see in the New Year.’ Work on the display began on Boxing Day, when the 150-strong ‘operational team’ began fitting brackets and cabling. The fireworks themselves are only fitted from 4pm on December 31 to allow the London Eye to be used by members of the public as usual. The wheel is locked in position at 10pm once all the fireworks are in place. The display is then controlled by a ‘show team’ of 50, many of whom are based in a control room on a platform on the opposite side of the river to the wheel. They are helped by a five-computer control system which links to the GPS system to pick up global time. This is checked against Big Ben and used to ensure everything is timed to perfection, with 14 lights projecting the countdown on to the Shell building near the Eye. A spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson’s office said: ‘As well as being an amazing icon it is the largest available hardstanding object with a capacity for 250,000 people.’ [image: Big Ben] Let the party begin: Big Ben strikes midnight as the show gets under way -- لأرسال رسالة لاعضاء مجموعة ناس سكر, الرجاء الارسال الى: [email protected] For sending emails: [email protected] visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nas_sokkar?hl=en
