Crime reporter Robert Sutcliffe was out on patrol with the police on New Year’s Eve and saw the New Year heralded in by violence and people so drunk they didn’t know where they were.

It was eerily quiet in Huddersfield town centre on New Year’s Eve - but on the stroke of midnight it all kicked off.

And by the end of a hectic night police had made several arrests across the town.

Det Insp Ian Thornes from Kirklees CID said this morning: “The cells are very busy with a lot of prisoners in from overnight. These have mainly been offences of being drunk and disorderly, people fighting among themselves and domestic incidents.”

Chief Supt Steve Cotter, Huddersfield's top cop, out patrolling the Kings Street area on new year's eve

One of the first problems just moments into 2016 happened in the Lord Wilson bar in Huddersfield town centre.

A police officer said: “A scuffle broke out on the dance floor and when a male door staff member intervened the group of young men and women threw their drinks on the floor causing him to slip and fall over. He was then assaulted and suffered facial injuries.

“A female door staff member was punched in the lower back too. Another doorman came to his aid and they were ejected.”

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Once outside a melee quickly erupted with police officers running down King Street to arrest two men, one of whom put up a struggle with officers having to wrestle him to the floor.

The officer said: “Two men have been arrested on suspicion of assault and affray on the two door staff.

“There is good CCTV footage inside the pub and the door staff were wearing headcams which have even better quality footage complete with audio recording.”

Police wrestle a young man to the ground outside The Lord Wilson bar following an incident inside it just before midnight

There were plenty of police officers patrolling the town centre during the festivities which were largely good-natured with young people high-fiving officers and begging them to have their photographs taken together.

But at 1.15am trouble erupted again, this time outside the Verve Bar in Byram Street with a young man refusing to calm down and having to be wrestled to the floor. He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

There was a sadder side to the revelling too with several young women reeling around the town’s streets crying and disorientated.

One, in a burgundy-coloured dress, cried continuously outside the entrance to the Kingsgate Centre for no obvious reason for more than an hour and refused to cheer up even when fireworks were let off at midnight.

Sgt Mandy Mellor tried in vain to make her smile by giving her a hug but to no avail.

Another semi-comatose young woman who had been in the Camel Club caused concern after the Street Angels were only able to elicit her first name after more than 45 minutes of trying to help her.

Police wrestle a young man to the ground after he refused to calm down outside The Verve bar in Byram Street in early hours of New Year's Day. He was later arrested for being drunk and disorderly

Eventually police attended and an ambulance was called to take her to hospital to have her stomach pumped.

And at 2.32am police were able to try out their new roadside, drug-testing equipment following an intelligence tip on a young male driver of a black Renault Clio in St George’s Square.

Sgt Mandy Mellor said the incident had been resolved with a so-called Community Resolution for possession of a small amount of cannabis.

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She said there had been no evidence of “impaired” ability to drive but he had been asked to park up his car and get a taxi home.

Chief Supt Steve Cotter who spent the night patrolling the district, much of it in Huddersfield town centre, with Insp Jon Dunkerley said: “I am happy with the operation.

“We have increased the number of officers available to us, part of a long term plan to ensure the police response across Kirklees is able to cope with what is always a very busy night for West Yorkshire Police.”