LONDON, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The London Underground strike that is due to start at noon (1200 GMT) on Saturday has dampened people's enthusiasm for the New Year's Eve celebrations as a poll showed that 70 percent of Britons opted to stay at home for fear of travel misery.

    London Underground that has planned a 24-hour strike said it would try to run as good a service as possible on its trains despite large numbers of staff set to walk out.

    But Londoners have been urged to check which services are running before setting out on their journeys, according to Sky news on Saturday.

    Trafalgar Square, usually the focus for London's mass gatherings, fireworks on the banks of the River Thames and the midnight chimes of Big Ben which signal the New Year are a traditional draw for thousands of Londoners. Enditem