UNPRECEDENTED numbers of problem drinkers are crippling an alcohol service in Bolton designed to help them.

Health chiefs and councillors say hundreds of thousands of pounds are needed to keep the Addiction Dependency Solutions service going after being overwhelmed in recent months.

They see the alcohol treatment service as a key weapon in Bolton’s battle with the bottle, where one in four adults drink to dangerous levels.

The Wood Street service dealt with 644 people between April and October instead of an expected 467 people.

A report to Bolton Council’s Executive said the high take-up rate was causing “significant resource pressures” and said improving the health of people in Bolton remained one of the council’s “most difficult challenges”.

Health officials and councillors say the service, which prescribes medication and tips to help people wean themselves off drink, has been a victim of its own success.

Jan Hutchinson, director of public health at NHS Bolton said: “These figures show there is a large number of people in Bolton with an alcohol problem, so there is a big unmet need.

“More people are accessing the new services than we anticipated, so we need to look again at the resources we are investing.”

Cllr Andy Morgan, health scrutiny committee chairman and the Conservative’s health spokesman, said: “Last year we were given £150,000 from the Government to help people with alcohol problems, but we have been a victim of our own success.

“So many people are wanting to subscribe to the service, it has been overwhelmed.

“GPs are referring more people into the system because they are aware of how good it is.

“It is not a case of extra staff or another treatment centre, it’s about having the resources to keep people in treatment for as long as they need to.

“Between the council and the PCT the money needs to be found to keep it going.”

About £150,000 of extra government money is on its way. It will allow the service to expand over the next two years, but more is needed to cater for the increased demand, the PCT said.

An initial £150,000 in 2007 allowed waiting times to be significantly cut when the service, which is staffed by health professionals and trained volunteers, was relaunched last year.

Liberal Democrat councillor David Wilkinson blamed cheap drink for fuelling the problem.

He said: “It’s great that so many people are accessing this service, but worrying that there will be so many more who aren’t. It clearly needs more funding.”