Don’t call an ambulance if you are drunk, World Cup fans told

Ambulance chiefs today pleaded with World Cup fans not to dial 999 if they get drunk.

The London Ambulance Service's deputy director, Jason Killens, said it was expecting 300 calls in the hour after England games finish. This compares with 160 on an average day.

Mr Killens said: "We're not expecting trouble but we're prepared for it. Remember, the ambulance service is here for emergencies and if you're drunk don't call 999. The message is to all people: if you are drinking do it in moderation."

To free up ambulances, there will be a field hospital for drunk fans at Liverpool Street station and the number of "booze buses" will be increased from two to five, operating in Camden and central London.

The service has trawled its historic incidents database to identify call patterns for previous major football tournaments. During the last World Cup, in 2006, there was a 44 per cent rise in emergency calls as soon as the England-Portugal match ended.

Hotspots this time are expected to include Alexandra Palace, which will have a public TV screen, and Stamford Bridge, with ticket-only screenings.