Party-goers across Norfolk and Suffolk celebrating New Year’s Eve are being urged to know their limits and plan journeys home.

Additional officers will be on patrol as thousands of people head out to bars and clubs tonight to see in 2015 and officers are urging revellers to follow simple steps to help stay safe.

With many people’s celebrations likely to involve alcohol, party-goers are urged to have a good time but to take it steady with drinks, not to leave belongings unattended, make plans for the journey home and the morning after if you have to travel early.

Police are offering clubbers the following advice on how to stay safe:

•Know your limits – venues will deny entry if you are drunk.

•Stick with friends – remember there’s safety in numbers.

•Plan your journey home – use reputable mini-cab or private hire companies.

•Drink water in between alcoholic drinks – pace your drinking, it’s not a race.

•Keep hold of your belongings ­– be mindful not to leave handbags, wallets or phones on tables/bars.

Norfolk County Policing Commander, Chief Superintendent Nick Davison, said: “Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol clearly makes you vulnerable and more likely to become a victim of crime, be injured or involved in violence.

“Overdoing it with alcohol can have unintended consequences and I would urge people to follow simple steps to make sure you have a night to remember for the right reasons.”

Superintendent Terry Byford, from Suffolk Police, said: “We’re urging people to follow our simple advice to make sure that they have both an enjoyable and a safe night out – no-one wants to start 2015 in a cell or A&E.

“Unfortunately people do act differently when they have been drinking and put themselves at risk of becoming either a victim or perpetrator of crime. “We’re therefore asking people to think again before they drink another drop, to look after themselves and each other, and to respect our officers and all those working hard to keep people safe this New Year.”