A VITAL alcohol resource centre in Chorley has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of referrals over the last five years.

And workers at the Alcohol Information and Counselling Centre, St Thomas's Road, say there is a disturbing increase in alcohol misuse among younger people in the town.

The centre, jointly funded by Social Services and the NHS Trust, gets an average of 30 new clients a month through its doors.

In the 12 months up to March this year 416 people were referred to the centre by GPs, hospitals and self-referrals.

The local figures compare with new national statistics which show direct alcohol misuse has risen by 40 per cent in five years.

Those figures reveal there are twice as many alcohol addicts as drug addicts in Britain, yet the gulf between money spent on the two is excessive - £91.5 million for drugs education compared to £1 million for alcohol advice and treatment.

Kim McSpirit, project worker and councillor at the centre, said: "What is worrying is the average age is shifting towards younger people.

"But what worries me more is the people who aren't coming to us and those who don't even know we are here."

To make matters worse the centre has had to face the massive increases in demands for services with little or no extra cash.

Urgent calls for extra government cash have brought the issue to light but the earliest date for a national government strategy is expected to be 2004 despite the revelations in statistics.

Nationally more than 5,000 people died from direct alcohol misuse in 1999 and a total of 33,000 people died from alcohol-related causes.

Linda Crossley, spokesperson for Alcohol Information and Counselling, said: "We have been lobbying the government for some time for a comprehensive national alcohol strategy to be introduced covering all aspects of alcohol abuse and preventative work.

"It is quite clear the amount of money available for our services is stretched when an increasing number of people use our services."

The centre offers a wide range or counselling, rehabilitation and acupuncture services for victims.

For information on the centre, call 01257 230222.