WARRINGTON is sitting on a public health time bomb as its population continues to drink themselves to death'.

New figures show that, despite a national reduction in the number of people drinking more, Warrington residents are upping their consumption.

Results from a five-year lifestyle survey show that there has been a 14.2 per cent increase in the number of people drinking more in the past 10 years.

Rita Robertson, director of public health at Warrington Primary Care Trust, said: "It's not just about youngsters; there is increasing evidence that middle-aged professionals in the town are consuming more alcohol.

"By over emphasising the links between crime and disorder and alcohol, we are doing a disservice to the people who sit quietly at home not causing anyone else a problem but who are drinking themselves to death."

In 2001, 7.8 per cent of women in the town admitted drinking more than the recommended amount. In 2006 this had risen to 13.8 per cent.

And in the 18-39-year-old age group, a staggering 52.2 per cent of men in the town had double their recommended daily amount in one day; 29.3 per cent of women in the same age group had double the amount.

Despite increased warnings about the perils of drinking, many of the town's population are choosing to ignore the message.

And such is the frightening scale of the problem that it is costing lives.

The death rate for women for Warrington is 38 per cent higher than the rest of the UK as alcohol misuse is cutting short the average life expectancy for a woman in the town.

Cases of younger women suffering from sclerosis of the liver are also on the up and, in one year, 26 patients were admitted to Warrington Hospital a total of 226 times due to alcohol.