EXTRA paramedic crews and Patient Transport Service staff will be drafted in to cope with the expected upsurge in 999 calls as the Millennium arrives.

Colin Holden, Lancashire Ambulance Service's emergency planning officer, said: "We have been planning for the Millennium for the past 18 months and we are now finalising the finer details.

"It is difficult to predict exactly what will happen - usually our workload peaks at around 2am when the clubs shut, but this year we have pubs opening for 36 hours so we may get the calls more spread out."

The government has awarded the Service 'blue light' status as it has no identified risk of disruption as the Millennium arrives.

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