POLICE dealt with almost 4,000 incidents of drink-fuelled violence in and around Lancashire's pubs and clubs in just 12 months, the Evening Telegraph can reveal.

The figure - a 47.4 per cent rise on the previous year - was the fourth highest increase in the country but police put it down to a change in the way crime is recorded.

However, there were calls for the force to produce more transparent figures - and concern that it may not be able to cope with new relaxed licensing laws.

The county is now among the top ten areas of the country for the total number of incidents recorded.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears revealed the increase to 3,910 incidents - up from 2,653 - for the year between April 2003 and March 2004.

Only Cleveland, at 174.7 per cent, Cheshire and Kent saw bigger increases in 'violent offences committed in connection with licensed premises.'

The national average rise was 15 per cent.

Chief Inspector John Donnelly admitted there had been a small 'real' rise in drink fuelled violence in the county, but not at the levels the figures showed.

He said: "Lancashire Constabulary is committed to presenting the true picture of incidents in order to properly identify where problems exist.

"Also the small increase in explained by the fact that the police are now deployed to trouble spot locations at times where they are more likely to encounter problems.

"We have a situation where 10 years ago it was quite a regular feature of policing town centres that officers would be attending numerous large-scale fights in and around pubs and clubs.

"That is no longer the case and we expect there to be a levelling out next year."

But Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans said: "What we need are transparent figures which show exactly how alcohol fuelled violence has risen according to the last set of figures. If they say there has been just a small rise they need to share with us exactly why they can say that.

"What really worries me is if drunken violence is already going up, what will happen when the government's new relaxed licensing laws come in. Will Lancashire police be able to cope?"

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "Typically what happens when you make changes to the recording of incidents and how you deal with them is that the numbers fall in the following months. If they don't, I shall be very worried."

Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson said: "I welcome the fact that the police are now sending out special teams to deal with drink-fuelled violence in town centres on Friday and Saturday nights and are now making sure every incident is recorded."

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said: "If the figures continue to rise after this, it will be a matter for serious concern."

Lancashire police were rapped by the Audit Commission in May 2003 for failing to adhere to new standards and incorrectly recording a fifth of all crimes.

This prompted the force to become one of the strictest in the country at complying with the NCRS. Chief Inspector Donnelly said this resulted in the "pain" of the wayward figures which make them look bad.

Helen Skipsey, manager of Recency bar in Accrington, said: "I have been in town centre pubs for 20 years and I don't think it is any worse now than it was then."

Joe Atkinson, landlord of the Bridge Inn, Padiham and treasurer and president of the Burnley and District Licensed Victuallers Association, said: "This certainly isn't a picture we would recognise, we have very little trouble here. The problem with figures like this is that they will include places like Blackpool, which is obviously much worse than areas like Burnley and Padiham. We have schemes like BAND, Burnley Against Night-time Disorder, and Padiham Pubwatch."