Рет қаралды 71,602
Thousands of revelers stood at banks of the River Thames for London's New Year's Eve fireworks display to welcome 2015.
Tickets were introduced for the first time, with numbers kept to 100,000, which were first made available to the public in September, with a staggered release to ensure multiple opportunities to secure a place on the night.
The scheme was brought in following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, emergency services, and local authorities, to help manage crowd numbers which have been growing each year.
Since first being staged at the London Eye on the South Bank in 2003, the numbers heading to see the pyrotechnic and lighting display have increased from an estimated 100,000 people in its first year to around 500,000 last year, putting enormous strain on transport, infrastructure and the ability of the emergency services to move around.
A spokesman for the Greater London Authority (GLA) said shortly after 11pm: "The crowds have been building, all the viewing areas have filled up, and people are waiting along the river for the countdown to midnight."
The display, organised by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, is seen by millions on television and promotes London around the world.
Each ticket carried a £10 administration fee, which covers the costs of running the ticketing scheme. The GLA has said no profit is being made and every penny of the fee is being used to cover the costs associated with the scheme.
Tickets were non-transferable, meaning people needed valid ID from the original ticket buyer to gain entry to the event. People were urged not to buy from resellers as neither the authenticity of the ticket nor entry to the event could be guaranteed.
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