Alcohol-related 999 calls in Tower Hamlets have shot up by 17 per cent, according to figures released this week by the London Ambulance Service.

The service received 2,335 alcohol related emergency calls for Tower Hamlets last year – that amounts to 6.7 per cent of their total workload. The previous year the borough had 1,994 alcohol related 999 calls.

The figures are the highest ever for Tower Hamlets and one of the biggest increases in London.

Assistant Director of Operations Katy Millard said: “Such a sharp rise in alcohol-related incidents in Tower Hamlets is a real concern.

“People should go out and have a good time but think about the consequences of excessive drinking on their health, the ambulance service and the wider NHS.

“Ambulance crews need to be able to take care of patients with life-threatening emergencies, for example people suffering a cardiac arrest or those with serious injuries. If our staff are dealing with patients who are simply drunk, they won’t be able to do that.”

The total number of alcohol-related incidents in London last year was 68,792 —an 7.9 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Kingston saw the biggest increase in alcohol related emergencies with a 19.6 per cent rise compared to the previous year. But with 1,320 alcohol related incidents the borough still has less of this type of emergency calls than Tower Hamlets.