MEN in Burnley are drinking themselves to an early death, shock figures have revealed.

An in-depth assessment of the drinking culture among people living in East Lancashire has found that Burnley men were reducing their lives by an average of 15 months through excessive drinking.

Out of 354 local authorities in England, Burnley is ranked 350 for the number of months, in life expectancy, threatened by boozing, according to the North West Public Health Observatory.

Chronic liver disease death rates among men are also among the worst five boroughs in the country.

Each year more than 120 people aged under 18 from Burnley arrive at the town's general hospital, suffering from the effects of alcohol - putting the borough in the worst 10 per cent nationwide.

The rates do not improve with age. 561 out of every 100,000 men and 296 out of every 100,000 women were admitted to hospital as a direct result of alcohol in 2005/6, again making Burnley one of the worst-ranked authorities in the borough.

Women in general fared better then men in terms of alcohol use, with alcohol-related deaths running at less than half the rate of men's.

But statistics for them still rank Burnley as among the worst 20 areas in the country for female illness connected to alcohol.

The PCT has promised major improvements under its newly-launched four-year "wellbeing and health equality" plan to tackle ill-health in East Lancashire, and has pledged to crack down on alcohol problems.

A spokesman for the PCT said: "Alcohol abuse is one of East Lancashire PCT's primary targets to tackle over the next four years, as part of our concerted campaign to improve the health of East Lancashire residents.

"We are aware of the North West Public Health Observatory statistics on alcohol consumption and already have plans in place, including campaigns and schemes to encourage people to drink sensibly and in moderation."

Chris Hill, service manager at Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale alcohol and drug services said a whole range of social problems needed to be tackled to stop the rot.

She said: "Since April we have had just over 250 new referrals to the service, and the reality is that this is just the tip of the iceberg - many more do not seek help.

"Very often alcohol misuse masks other issues - how the person is feeling generally, through to their relationships, employment, financial circumstances and a whole range of other factors.

"If you don't address these issues then sooner or later the alcohol will start to raise its head again."

Burnley MP Kitty Ussher said the figures were "very disturbing", but praised the PCT for concentrating on alcohol and drug problems.

She said: "Fundamentally, life expectancy should not depend on who you are or where you live, and we need to put enormous efforts into getting the best people from all over the country to help improve life for people in East Lancashire."

Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle said the authority was working closely with the PCT and NHS Trust to help improve the figures.

He said: "If people could see how distressing it is to families when people die young I'm sure they would think twice and try to stop, and we want to help them do that."

Neighbouring Pendle and Rossendale did slightly better but still languish far behind other areas.

Pendle does not have the same life expectancy problems as Burnley and alcohol-related deaths among females are noticeably lower also.

Eleven months of life are lost to men in Rossendale, and male mortality rates are worrying.