Orléans plans €120 fine for drunks

PARTY-goers in Orléans who have a bit too much to drink this festive season could be handed a €120 bill for the burden they place on emergency services.

The town is considering recouping the cost of municipal police time and the call-out fee for a doctor as well as transport costs when someone is treated for excessive drinking.

Every year, between 250 and 300 people in the town are placed in what is called a cellule de dégrisement - the 'drunk tank' in police custody.

Authorities say dealing with alcohol-related incidents takes up 40 per cent of police time at night - and each case can take between two to four hours to deal with.

Meanwhile, firefighters in Paris are also reportedly considering charging for some of their more trivial call-outs - such as dealing with drunk people.

The city's pompiers are facing budget cuts in 2015 and the idea has been floated to claim back some of their unnecessary costs for nuisance or trivial callouts.