Ambulance calls rise after England World Cup games
Ambulance services have reported sharp rises in call-outs in the hours after England's World Cup games.
There was a 54% rise in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire compared with a week earlier after Wednesday's 1-0 win over Slovenia.
West Midlands Ambulance Service reported nearly 60% more calls than average in the region after England's first World Cup game on 12 June.
Much of the rise is being put down to increased drinking.
Ambulance service managers said they had planned for the increase in call-outs.
There was also a rise across the region following England's 0-0 draw against Algeria on 18 June, peaking at 45% in the early hours.
A West Midlands ambulance spokesman said: "Undoubtedly the majority of it is probably down to increased alcohol consumption, which very often leads to things like public order incidents, people falling over and injuring themselves."
He said the service was "very experienced" at planning for events such as this and that planning proved "very successful".
The spokesman added: "We had planned to put extra resources on because we expected to be busier and that proved to be the case.
"However, we'd pay tribute to the staff who came in to work overtime to cover these shifts when they could have been at home with their family and friends watching the football."
England will now play Germany in the knockout phase in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon.