POLICE in North Yorkshire will be updating the public on their duties in real-time as part of a 'Tweetathon' on Friday.

The force, which sparked criticism in March when it banned its officers from posting as individuals on social media, will take part in the Tweetathon from 2pm on Friday, December 17 until 2am the following morning.

It will tweet every call that comes into North Yorkshire Police during that 12-hour period.

The last Friday before Christmas is known by some as “Mad Friday” and is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for the emergency services.

Despite recent government announcements, the force is currently anticipating that people will head out to parties, bars and events over the festive period.

The force has seen a high demand for calls to service over the last few weekends, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

This also follows an unprecedented six months where police forces across the country, including in North Yorkshire, have seen record numbers of 999 and 101 calls.

Anyone can follow the 12-hour Tweetathon via the North Yorkshire Police Twitter account @NYorksPolice with the hashtag #NYPfor12.