HEALTH services in East Lancashire dealt with more than 15,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions last year, it can be revealed.

Both Burnley and Blackburn with Darwen had some of the worst admissions data in England and Wales, a report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows.

MORE TOP STORIES:

And every town, except those in the Ribble Valley, reported figures higher than the national average of 1,890 admissions per 100,000 people.

Nationally, the top ten worst places, with Burnley at eighth and Blackburn with Darwen at tenth, are mostly in the north. Only Islington, in North London, represents the south.

The Lancashire Telegraph’s health expert Dr Tom Smith said the problem was mainly split between binge drinkers, and those who cause long-term damage to their health over a period of time.

He said: “It can be people going out at weekends, or those with chronic conditions. A lot of admissions are because people have injured themselves while drunk or semi-comatose. Sometimes they have drunk 13 to 15 pints, or it’s a young girl who has had vodka before going out, and then has to be picked up off the pavement.”

Dr Smith said some people have remained ignorant to the consequences of alcohol abuse.

He said: “They think they can go out on a Friday or Saturday and get drunk. It can really harm your liver, and brain, and it can even cause stomach ulcers or stomach cancer — even if you don’t drink any other night of the week.”

Haslingden and Hyndburn MP Graham Jones added: “The health figures for this area are poor and the primary cause is poor diet, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.

“There’s a drink culture and we need to raise awareness with people who are drinking a lot that this will damage their health, but we need to send a message to those who bringe drink, particularly younger people, because they are not immortal. This will have consequences later in life.

“And it’s not just the damage to their health. People who are drinking tend to be violent, and some of the admissions to A&E are for assault and other related injuries.”

It is estimated that drinking costs the NHS around £2.7 billion a year. The government makes more than £14 billion in duty and VAT.