YOU could be forgiven for thinking that Bolton town centre was one of those notorious Spanish holiday booze resorts that often make the headlines.

And if it had been 15 degrees warmer you could have been in Magaluf.

But although it was a just chilly five degrees, there were plenty of scantily clad girls and men in T-shirts on festive bar crawls around the town centre determined to sink the drinks and get very merry — and quite often violent as well.

As early as 6pm on Friday, a 14-year-old girl was found paralytic after a lot too many. Police picked the youngster up as she was staggering in the Newport Arcade with a friend.

Police checked her over and called an ambulance to take her to hospital.

And by 10.30pm a father, with his two-year-old son in a pram, threw a drink over two women when they asked him if he was all right as he walked around the town centre.

A police van found him near Bow Street car park. The child, who was just two-years-old, was cold and put in the van to warm up while his father was spoken to as he tried to justify his actions for taking his toddler for a walk in the town centre so late at night. Officers took the pair home and a welfare check was carried out at their home in Breightmet.

Thousands of people were out in Bolton to celebrate the traditional “Mad Friday” after finishing work for Christmas.

Bolton police had beefed up their BAND operation (Bolton Against Night-time Disorder) which runs on Friday and Saturday nights, with extra officers.

It comes just days after Bolton’s top police officer, Supt David Hull, said more needed to be done to attract families to the town centre after he branded it “unpleasant”.

He added that pubs and clubs could be forced to close earlier as he does not believe the current opening hours are the “optimum ones”.

By 5pm the town centre resembled a usual Friday night — at 10pm. Police said it was three times as busy as a normal Friday and by far the busiest night of the year.

At its peak there were 26 officers on patrol, along with six special constables.

Sgt Paul Ellis, who was in charge of the operation, said it was important to “nip things in the bud” to prevent problems later in the evening.

One of the powers officers use is a section 27 order, designed to prevent potential alcohol-related disorder. Drunks can be issued with the notice to leave the town centre immediately and not return within for 24 or 48 hours. If they do they face arrest.

Sgt Ellis said: “It is draconian but it is a really useful power for us to prevent trouble and it means that people who would normally be well behaved but for the alcohol, are not getting arrested.”

Twelve section 27 orders were imposed on Friday night, with the first being issued at just 6.20pm.

The start of the evening was busy with people out drinking after finishing work, and then after 9pm younger crowds arrived in taxis to be greeted by promotion staff on the pavements giving out drinks offers for the various bars and clubs.

Early on three people were pulled over for minor traffic offences and were given warnings.

It was mainly to check if they had been drinking.

About 10.30pm two girls, staggering down Bank Street eating a kebab, spotted our photographer and one of them flashed her chest.

Street peddlers were wandering about selling flashing bunny ears, cowboy hats and flowers. Not much later and the fights started. Several brawls had to be broken up in Bradshawgate. Three police officers were assaulted on the night — two women PCs were punched in the face, and a male colleague was hit in the chest.

By midnight officers were rushing from one incident to another as more brawls threatened to break out.

Twelve people were arrested on the night.

Sgt Ellis added: “It was definitely the busiest night of the year but there were no serious incidents or serious crimes reported.”