Ambulance staff in Bradford and across West Yorkshire face dealing with 1,500 calls a day over the Millennium period - three times the normal daily amount.

If the predictions are correct, it will be the busiest period the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (WYMAS) staff have ever had to cope with.

Last year they dealt with around 1,000 calls a day over Christmas and New Year which was double the usual 500 daily calls.

Leave has been cancelled over the Millennium for WYMAS's 1,100 staff.

And office-based staff have been trained to answer calls from the public over the holiday period.

Patient transport staff will deal with non-emergency transport duties such as people being discharged from hospital and routine admissions to leave the paramedics to cope with emergency calls.

WYMAS spokesman David Pitts said: "All staff will be working in order that we can cope with expected demand."

He said demand was expected to rise because more people would be out celebrating.

Food and refreshments would be provided for all ambulance staff on the road at ambulance stations or accident and emergency departments between December 23 and January 4 and transport would be laid on for staff working on New Year's Eve for those without their own.

Mr Pitts said anyone in doubt about whether they needed an ambulance over the Millennium could call NHS Direct - a telephone helpline staffed round the clock by health professionals - -on 0845 4647.

Last year WYMAS dealt with a record 226,204 calls for help, reaching 59 per cent in eight minutes.

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