Ambulance bosses say it was “one of the busiest weekends” as pubs reopened - but police and fire services covering Huntingdonshire say it “passed without incident”.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) said the number of calls it received Saturday night (July 4), was at points, double that of the last month.

The spike in calls came between 9pm and 4am and coincided with the greatest easing of lockdown to date, with pubs, bars and restaurants permitted to open for the first time since mid-March.

However, crews from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue and Cambridgeshire Police said the weekend passed “largely without incident” across Huntingdonshire.

An EEAST spokesperson said: “The weekend was one of the busiest for the East of England Ambulance Service, but the number of alcohol-related incidents were not as high as might have been expected with the pubs reopening for the first time in many months.

“The reasons for the call outs were for a wide range of reasons, but between nine on Saturday night and four in the morning there was a small increase in the number of assaults and issues related to mental health.

“Overall, we felt that the public and businesses acted responsibly on the first weekend of the easing of restrictions and we would like to thank them for their support of the emergency services and the NHS.”

Cambridgeshire Police said that they were on hand to make sure that people stuck to social distancing guidelines.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm the weekend went well and passed largely without incident.

“We would like to thank the communities of Cambridgeshire for enjoying themselves responsibly and encourage everyone to keep up the good work in the coming weeks.

“It’s really important that everyone takes personal responsibility for their actions to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep our communities safe from harm.”

Those attending A&E at Hinchingbrooke Hospital slightly increased in comparison to other weeks.

Trust bosses confirmed that 118 people attended on Saturday (July 4) and 128 on Sunday (July 5) in comparison of 127 on Saturday, June 27 and 109 on Sunday, June 28.