The East of England Ambulance Service saw a fall in emergency call outs across the region over the Christmas period.

Between 7pm on Christmas Eve and 11pm on Boxing Day, ambulance service control rooms received 6,017 calls, a fall of more than two per cent year-on-year.

The service received 6,155 calls in 2014/15 and 5,468 calls in 2013/14.

In Cambridgeshire, there were 804 call outs over the period, up slightly from last year, when there were 802.

The service’s chief executive, Robert Morton, thanked staff for dealing with what he described as “a busy time in an already challenging winter”.

He said: “We know that when someone calls 999, it can be a traumatic time for them; during Christmas it can be particularly hard because it should be a time of celebration and enjoyment.

“Our staff and volunteers worked extremely hard to help respond to every call in the most appropriate way possible, and we hope everyone we treated is recovering well enough to be able to enjoy what’s left of the festivities.”

For more information, advice and directions to help about staying well, visit www.eastamb.nhs.uk, on Facebook and on Twitter using #winterwise.