In scenes that will almost certainly encourage thrifty Britons to stand just outside the barriers and bask in the freeness of it all, this year's New Year's Eve fireworks in London will come with a ticket price of £10. Numbers are also being slashed for the event on the Thames, from 500,000 to just 100,000.

Boris JohnsonBoris Johnson is charging you a tenner!

The event has previously been free, though a lack of space and strain on transport means it is no longer manageable.

Announcing the news, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "London's New Year's Eve fireworks are phenomenally popular, not just in the capital, but across the world and we want to ensure it continues to be a safe, enjoyable and sustainable event for the long-term.

"After consulting with our partners, we are introducing ticketing to help manage crowd numbers and create a better experience on the night.

"For anyone without a ticket the fireworks are again being shown live and in full on television."

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Old Boris insists that no profit will be made on the cool £1 million made by the sales and cash will go on the process of ticketing as well as increased infrastructure and staffing. 

As expected, there has been opposition, not least from Johnson's political adversaries. 

Labour's David Lammy, who hopes to run for Mayor of the capital, said: "Always loved that London NYE fireworks were a free & festive gathering open to all, not a sterile ticketed show. Not any more. #thanksboris".

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said: "It would be a scandal if any families were denied access to the event due to the introduction of ticket prices," according to the Evening Standard.

Tickets for the event - which will run until 12.45am with live DJ's - will be available on www.london.gov.uk/nye from midday on 26 September.