NEW Year’s Eve was not unusually busy, a police chief has said – despite two nightclub stabbings.

Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Kay Blyth said overall arrests were down on the previous year.

“Northumbria Police dealt with a number of separate incidents across the whole of the force area on New Year’s Eve,” C/Supt Blyth said.

“These incidents were unconnected and predominantly involved people known to each other and resulted in immediate arrests.

“We ran a number of pre-planned operations in our town centres and although the night was busy, it was not unusually so compared to most New Year’s Eves.

“In fact, the number of arrests fell from 220 in 2011-2012 to 179 in 2012-2013, showing that the vast majority of people were out to have a good time and not to cause any trouble.”

The stabbings took place at Sunderland’s Basement and Utopia Bar and Newcastle’s LQ nightclub.

In the former, a 24-year-old man suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent.

In the latter, a man suffered a stab wound to his back and three men, one aged 23 and two aged 24, have been arrested on suspicion of assault.

Elsewhere, a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault after a man was apparently punched in Bar 44, South Shields, and two men, aged 22 and 36, were arrested and given hospital treatment following a fight in Forest Hall, North Tyneside.

Enquiries into all incidents are continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101.