Cases of liver disease caused by excessive drinking soared 75 percent in six years and cost the National Health System more than $100 million a year, the Liberal Democrats health spokesman Paul Burstow said Monday.

"The culture of binge drinking among young people, particularly women, is damaging their health. Much more needs to be done to alert people to the health risks," he said.

According to government statistics in 2002-03, 151,086 "bed days" were taken up in hospitals by people with alcohol-related problems.

In 1996-97, the average length of stay in hospital for a patient with alcoholic liver disease was 12.7 days. By 2002-03 this was 14.1 days.

A government report in September estimated 17 million working days were lost to hangovers and the cost of treating alcohol-related injury and illness was $3 billion.