New Year celebrations: Crowds turn out to see in 2013
(about 2 hours later)
Crowds across the UK have risked the damp weather to see in 2013 at New Year's Eve events.
Large crowds turned out for spectacular firework displays across the UK, as the new year was welcomed in with a bang.
href="/news/uk-england-london-20874115" title="London set for for new year party" >About 250,000 people were in London to watch a spectacular fireworks display from the banks of the River Thames.
Earlier downpours dried up over much of the country in time for the celebrations - although rain continued in Scotland, Northern Ireland and eastern England.
Overnight, much of central London was closed to traffic, but the Tube ran all night and most public transport was free until 04:30 GMT.
And UK forces in Afghanistan celebrated with pipe music and party poppers.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said the 11-minute fireworks display - which featured 12,500 fireworks and clips from the Olympic Games - rounded off a year that "glimmered with excitement and enthusiasm".
Initial overnight figures suggest 12.9m people watched the display on BBC One.
They, along with a procession of performers and dignitaries, marked the end of a year that saw the city host the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
In Edinburgh, Scottish rock band Simple Minds headlined the Concert in the Gardens, where they were joined by The View and Bwani Junction against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
These major events of the year also featured strongly in Monday night's celebrations in London.
As 12,500 fireworks lit up the night sky above the English capital during the 11-minute display, memorable clips from the Games and Jubilee played out.
Many spectators had waited for hours for the spectacular but many more tuned in to watch the show on television, with initial figures suggesting 12.9m people watched the display on BBC One.
London Mayor Boris Johnson described the night as "an amazing end to an incredible year".
as of as of 3:45 GMT, but said there were "no major issues"
The emergency services reported a rise in calls, with paramedics in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, taking 1,544 calls between 22:00 GMT and 04:00 - a rise of more than 20% on the same period last year
After days of flooding that brought parts of the UK to a standstill, river and groundwater levels are still high in many areas and there is a continued risk of localised flooding.
Rob Haine, 30, a computer games programmer from Wakefield, described the London display as "mesmerising".
A spokesman for the Environment Agency (EA) said: "Large rivers that respond slowly to rainfall, including the Thames, Trent and Severn, will continue rising through the next couple of days and high groundwater levels in southern England will continue to pose a risk to communities, particularly in Dorset."
Sandro Benvenuti, 46, who travelled from Italy with his wife and two daughters to see the display, said: "We were waiting for six hours but it was fantastic."
She said: "There's no trouble here. Everyone is having a good time and it's the perfect way to finish 2012."
Forecasters said showers would die out on Tuesday evening, leaving the night dry across the UK, but more rain is expected in the early hours.
Downpours had earlier threatened to dampen the celebratory mood - but many revellers braved the rain in Scotland, Northern Ireland and eastern England.
About 540 properties have flooded since 19 December, while flood defences have protected more than 21,600 properties, the EA said.
In Edinburgh, Scottish rock band Simple Minds headlined the Concert in the Gardens, where they were joined by The View and Bwani Junction against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
It said it had more than 800 staff working during the festive period shoring up flood defences, clearing blockages from watercourses, monitoring river levels closely and installing temporary flood defences.
Joanna White and a group of friends travelled from Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia to experience their first Hogmanay in Edinburgh.
Met Office figures show that 2012 will go down as one of the wettest years in the UK since records began in 1910, and it could yet be the wettest.
She said: "We love Hogmanay, we want to come back here every year. It's been awesome.
On Friday, the Met Office said 46mm (2in) of rain was needed to fall before 31 December to break the record for the UK, with 1,291.2mm (50in) having been recorded between 1 January and 26 December. Confirmation is expected later this week.
"There are a lot more people here than we thought, and there's people from everywhere."
A new record has already been set for England, with 1,095.8mm falling in 2012 up to Boxing Day.
Brian Forbes, from Machynlleth, Wales, who was also in Edinburgh at new year for the first time, said: "The organisation has been fantastic and everyone is so friendly."
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