Late night help for revellers returns tonight

Organised by the North West Ambulance Service, the Night Safe Haven scheme, which has been running for more than four years, offers safety and medical help.

The scheme aims to reduce the number of patiens admitted to Blackpool Vic’s A&E department due to alcohol related injuries.

It will operate for the next 30 Saturday nights and will reopen for Christmas and New Year.

The initiative, which is also supported by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Drug line Blackpool and St John Ambulance, will run from 9.30pm to 3.30am.

Dave Rigby, NWAS sector manager for Blackpool, said: “It’s great the scheme has been extended once again and we can take the brilliant expertise of our professionals and partners to Blackpool town centre in the months ahead.

“The ‘Night Safe Haven’ initiative has had a great deal of success in the past, even receiving local and national recognition.

“We provide much needed support to people who have consumed too much alcohol, experienced physical violence, taken drugs or have lost their friends and family.

“Blackpool is a particularly popular night-time destination and has been identified as a hotspot making this service extremely cost-effective each year.

“This approach helps us prevent numerous emergency department admissions and provides relief to other local medical services at a time when we are experiencing a significant rise in life-threatening calls for ambulances.”

Located on the apron outside Blackpool Town Hall, the Night Safe Haven also offers blankets, water, condoms and even slippers for women who have removed their heels.