MEDICS and police in South Cheshire are joining forces to warn women of the dangers of binge drinking over Christmas and the new year.

They are urging them to adopt a responsible attitude to alcohol.

Detective Chief Inspector David Griffin, of Cheshire Police, said: 'Alcohol does lower inhibitions and females in particular can find themselves vulnerable to illness, accident and assault when the wine is flowing freely.'

Increasing numbers of young women are ignoring drinking limits.

Cheshire Alcohol Service, which is based in Crewe, has helped more than 600 people per year, over the past four years. Around 40% of these have been women.

Manager Miles Couchman said: 'It has become more acceptable for women to drink. They now seem to think 'what the lads can do we can do better'.

'Stress plays a big aspect in this. Women find it more difficult to get senior positions and are under more pressure.

'If they do not stop the level of alcohol they are consuming the amount of liver damage will rise dramatically. The more pressure they put the liver under, the more likely it is to fail.'

Figures from the Central Cheshire Primary Care Trust show that in 2002 there were between 14 and 31 deaths attributed to alcohol-related illness in women in Crewe and Nantwich, and between 25 and 37 among men.

In 2001 and 2002 there were between 219 and 374 women admitted to hospital through alcohol-related causes, and between 401 and 516 men admitted.

Professor John Ashton, North West regional director of public health, said: 'It has become clear that this area is suffering from the alcohol bender that the nation is currently engaged in. This is no joke and must be taken seriously.

'It is a major cause of death and ill-health. We must re-establish boundaries to acceptable drinking patterns and behaviours.'

The Government estimates that the binge drinking culture is costing the country £20billion a year.

The annual cost to employers is estimated to be £6.4bn while the cost to the NHS is about £1.7bn. Billions more are spent clearing up alcohol-related crime and problems.

In addition, alcohol-related problems are responsible for 22,000 premature deaths each year. There are 1.2 million incidents of alcohol-related violence a year with around 40% of A&E admissions alcohol-related. Between midnight and 5am the figure rises to 70%.

Medical experts say one in three men and one in five women fail to drink sensibly.