The police were out in force and private security guards patrolled densely populated camping grounds.

But it was all quiet on the North-East Coast.

Bridport Holiday Park manager Debbie Blair said this New Year's Eve was one of the quietest she had ever seen in the popular seaside town.

``Bridport was very subdued on Tuesday night, very sleepy indeed,'' she said.

``There were plenty of police officers around with not much to do.''

Ms Blair said she and husband Rodney had a string of sleepless nights in the lead-up to December 31.

``We worried quite a lot about the potential for antisocial behaviour,'' she said.

``Nothing was damaged or stolen, and nobody was hassled.''

Between 1000 and 1500 people spread across the holiday park's 240 sites on Tuesday night.

Ms Blair said she implemented clear strategies  to maintain order.

``We refused to accept any bookings from kids under the age of 18 who planned to camp here unsupervised,'' she said.

``We enforced a minimum three-night stay rule to encourage families to join us and discourage those who just wanted to blow into town for New Year's Eve.''

About 300 people packed into the Bridport Hotel to see in the new year.

Publican Robert Edwards said there were no problems on the night.

``Everyone was in very good spirits and there was not one drama,'' he said.

``Our security guards had nothing to do last night, so it was a great night.''

Mr Edwards said the crowd, mostly young adults from out of town, behaved exceptionally well.