FORGET presents, party games and kissing under the mistletoe, an increasing number of East Lancashire people just want to get drunk at Christmas.

More than 50 people from the area have been in hospital with alcohol-related injuries already this month, and a further 50 are expected over the Christmas period.

Over the 12 days of Christmas, the average Brit will drink 18 pints of beer, three bottles of wine, one bottle of spirits and four glasses of fortified wine - the equivalent of 137 units of alcohol in less than two weeks, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The Government advises no more than 21 units for a man and 14 for a woman each week.

Alcohol-related injuries at the Royal Blackburn Hospital and the Burnley General Hospital leap from around 70 per month to up to 100 per month in December, and medics are not expecting this year to be any different.

Health bosses, already concerned about high levels of drinking and liver damage in the area, have warned people to stay sensible over the festive period, but said they were not killjoys and people should have a drink if they want to.

Elaine Michel, consultant in public health for East Lancashire PCT, said revellers should take measures to make sure they do not get dangerously drunk, including alternating between alcohol and soft drinks, end ensuring that they have plenty to eat while drinking.

She said: "People all over the world drink a lot more over Christmas, and East Lancashire is no exception - drinking over Christmas is a great pleasure for a lot of people.

"What is most important is that people drink at a level where they don't lose control, don't put themselves at risk, and don't start behaving in a way that stops everyone else having a good time, because that is when people get injured.

"Drinking so much over a short period does short-term damage, and will make you feel pretty awful for a little while.

"What people need to make sure of, though, is that they don't binge like that regularly.

"That is when people start to get very serious problems like liver cirrhosis, which is now being seen in younger people."