Ch Supt Russ Hardy said the figures compare well with the rest of the year.

He said: "People should not panic that violence is running amok in Lincoln because it certainly is not."

Despite this, traders have handed a petition to the city council demanding that drunks, who scare off trade, are cleared from the streets.

Over the festive two weeks, police were called out 140 times to licensed premises in the city, but they say that compares with a normal weekend.

Ch Supt Hardy added: "It does show how much alcohol-related crime there is in the city centre."