Preparations are under way in London for some of world’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations. Up to 250,000 people are expected to descend upon the banks of the River Thames for the annual fireworks display.

This year’s celebrations are especially important as they mark the start of the year in which London will play host to the Olympics.

Mayor Boris Johnson wished Londoners a happy new year with a special message: “We’ve had some fantastic highlights, the royal wedding, the end of the bendy bus.

He added: “Now we’re going forward into 2012 with an astonishing pyrotechnic display around the London Eye to commemorate the fact that next year is the most extraordinary that we are likely to see in our lifetimes in this city.

“We are going to be putting on a most incredible Olympic and Paralympic Games that will not only bring the whole world to London but offer the chance to rejuvenate huge parts of our city in the long term.”

An estimated 3,000 police officers will be deployed on the streets and London Ambulance services are preparing for a rise in calls.