A person in Båstad, in southern Sweden, got half an ear bitten off, and in Gothenburg a man was cut in the face with a broken bottle.

Several cases of using force against a police officer have also been reported, as drunken people have got into fights with guards or police officers.

The many drunks have kept the police force busy, and the “drunk cells”, reserved for raucous revelers who need to sleep off the ruse, have been at capacity in a number of Swedish jails.

The police confirm that they’ve been busier than a regular Saturday night, but not moreso than usual for Christmas Day.

“Christmas Day has become a big party weekend,” confirmed Lennart Hornemark of the police’s country communications central in Malmö, to news agency TT.

Per Bäckström, of Gotland’s police force, compared the night to a busy summer’s night.

“There’s a lot more for us to do than on a regular weekend. Our jail has been full.”

The bitter cold may have dampened celebrations somewhat, but in combination with large numbers of drunks, it has created an extra source of work for police officers.

“When it’s this cold, it can get dangerous,” said Kent Lind, officer on watch at Falun’s police station. “We’ve had to pick up quite a few people who’d cozied up for a nap in a snow drift.”