Police in Peterborough had to deal with 141 emergency 999 calls in Peterborough between 7pm on New Year's Eve and 3am on New Year's Day – with the busiest time just after midnight.

Police say the pattern was similar across the rest of Cambridgeshire – with some 178 calls between 1am and 3am – and Lincolnshire.

The worst incident happened in Wendover Mews, Bourne, where two men suffered serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.

A 30-year-old man was taken to Peterborough and District hospital with a wound to his neck, along with a 27-year-old man with a serious cut to his hand.

A 56-year-old man was also treated at the scene for a minor head injury.

All the men are believed to live locally, and have been released from hospital.

Two men aged 27 were arrested, but have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

In Peterborough, police officers were kept extremely busy with a number of incidents throughout the night.

At 9.30pm they received complaints from residents about rowdy behaviour from a group of youths in Stagsden, Orton Goldhay, while at 1.20am officers were called to Bourges Boulevard near the Toys R Us store after receiving reports of three men fighting.

Inspector Mike Hills said: "It was a very typical New Year's Eve for us, and we were kept very busy throughout the night.

"Although a lot of people would have stayed in because of the freezing weather, there were still the usual number of alcohol disorder problems, and a couple of assaults in Peterborough."

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue service were also called to a number of incidents, including to a house in Belsay Drive, Stanground, Peterborough, which had caught fire moments before 2009 was ushered in, and a fire that had started on a gritter in North Street, Stilton, near Peterborough.

And ambulance crews were also out in force throughout New Year's Eve, with 174 people calling 999 for their assistance in Cambridgeshire over the course of the night.

A spokeswoman for East of England Ambulance Service said: "As expected, the crews had a busy night on New Year's Eve, but there was a drop in the number of emergency callouts this year compared to 12 months ago."