New Year celebrations: Crowds turn out to see in 2013
Anthea: HAPPY NEW YEAR from UK
Large crowds turned out for spectacular firework displays across the UK, as the new year was welcomed in with a bang.
The centrepiece of the celebrations saw a quarter of a million people line the banks of the River Thames for a huge display set around the London Eye.
Almost 13m people watched that display on television, figures suggested.
In Edinburgh, another colourful array of pyrotechnics lit up the castle as crowds of about 75,000 people sang Auld Lang Syne to herald the start of 2013.
In Northern Ireland, a huge fireworks display marked the beginning of the Derry-Londonderry 2013 City of Culture year.
And UK forces in Afghanistan celebrated with pipe music and party poppers.
In the aftermath of the celebrations, more than 500,000 people turned out for London's New Year's Day parade, with a starring role for 400 Olympic Games Makers.
They, along with a procession of performers and dignitaries, marked the end of a year that saw the city host the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
These major events of the year also featured strongly in Monday night's celebrations in London.
FULL STORY & VIDEO:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20875506
