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Watch London welcome in 2015 with huge firework display over the Thames

Nearly 100,000 people gathered along the capital's river this New Year's Eve

Kiran Moodley
Thursday 01 January 2015 11:45 GMT
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Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2015 in London, England.
Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2015 in London, England. (Rob Stothard | Getty Images)

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A digital countdown on The Shard helped London ring in the New Year as a huge fireworks display at midnight welcomed Britons to 2015.

Around 100,000 people lined up along the Thames to witness the spectacle. There was a lot of controversy in advance of the display as this year's event was the first to be ticketed rather than free.

Police had warned party goers to avoid large swathes of central London on Thursday night unless they had a ticket to the New Year’s Eve celebrations. This year’s display was ticket-only event following fears of over-crowding in recent years.

Some 100,000 people paid £10 each for a ticket to the display - last year, an estimated 500,000 people tried to watch London's celebrations and many were turned away by police amid security and safety fears.

A crew of more than 300 set off 12,000 fireworks this year and Mayor Boris Johnson was suitably impressed:

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