More than 10 million working days are expected to be lost in the North-west this year due to stress, according to a local business training and support specialist.

Alliance Learning, based in Horwich, has estimated that the annual cost to the region's economy will be £500,000.

And it argues that stress in the workplace has become a major issue which affects up to five million people across the country.

Ian Chadderton, a management trainer with Alliance, said: "Across the UK, 90 million working days are lost every year because of stress, at a cost of £4 billion through sick pay, lost production and NHS charges.

"About half a million people experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill, while about five million say they feel very or extremely stressed. These are frightening figures."

He said that in the North-west, more than 10 million working days are lost each year at a cost of £500 million to the region.

In response to the rising trends, the organisation is launching its first stress-busting course.

The first half-day course will take place in February at Alliance's Horwich head office, with more planned for the future.

Costs, causes and effects of stress, tackling short and long-term issues, management training and the implications of new Health and Safety management standards are just some of the topics to be covered.

Mr Chadderton, and Jane Murray, who are both accredited management trainers with The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) will run the courses.

Mr Chadderton said: "We aim to raise awareness for companies of the implications of the HSE management standards, which heavily imply the introduction of management systems to reduce stress in the workplace."

"Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated. But excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill."

And owner-managers in the North-west are more stressed than they were just one year ago, according to Grant Thornton's 2005 business owners survey.

According to the study, 28 per cent of owner managers admitted that their stress levels had either increased or significantly increased in the past year.

The most common reasons cited for contributing to stress were regulation and red tape (37 per cent), more demanding customer expectations (31per cent), concern about not spending enough time with friends and family (30 per cent), and cashflow within the business or increased pressure on profit margins (26 per cent).