SAMARITANS' telephone lines were jammed with callers on New Year's Eve - the busiest night of the year for volunteers throughout the country.

At the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale branch, volunteers took 93 calls on New Year's Eve and 127 calls from midnight on New Year's Day, almost double the number for an average day.

Director Larry Coulston said the two Samaritans on duty were talking to lonely people all the way through the night. He said the national number - 0345 90 90 90 - meant callers would rarely have got an engaged signal as the call would automatically divert to other branches until the exchange found a line that was free.

The Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley branch was quieter with 38 calls, just above average, on New Year's Eve, and 54 calls from midnight to midnight on New Year's Day.

Their lines were busiest on Boxing Day, when volunteers took almost 100 calls as the Christmas season came to an end, and calls overall for December were up ten per cent on last year's figures.

Larry Coulston said: "Anyone making a New Year's resolution to put something back into society could consider applying to become a volunteer at one of our branches."

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