London welcomes New Year in style

Over 500,000 turned out for London's New Year's Day parade, ensuring the event was the largest in its 23 year history. People were lined up around the 2.2 mile route from Parliament Square. Highlights included marching bands, clowns, bell ringers and 1,000 cheerleaders from across the Atlantic.

The event was telecast live to 750 television stations around the world and would be great publicity for the London Olympics coming your way in 2012.

It all began with fireworks around Big Ben at midnight witnessed by 700,000 even in the inclement weather.

The modd was just as festive further North in Edinburgh. 100,000 simultaneously sang Robert Burn's poem Auld Lang Syne courtesy karaoke style videos.

The United Kingdom was on its best behaviour, with only 42 reported arrests during the celebrations.

That doesn't mean some of the revelers didn't exceed their limits. London Ambulance services received an average of one call every six seconds making it their second busiest New Year Eve on record.