A HARD-hitting poster campaign is being launched this week to alert the town's pub and club goers to the dangers of excessive boozing.

Recent research by sensible drink campaigners, The Portman Group, has revealed that as many as one million young adults are currently drinking on a regular basis just to get drunk.

The latest campaign is the fifth in the series and is also targeting the resorts of Brighton and Eastbourne.

Campaigns officer, Margaret Michie explained: "We are focusing this particular campaign on holiday resorts as the bank holiday is approaching and resorts like Blackpool will receive a massive influx of visitors looking for a good time."

The direct message that the group is advocating is simply: "If You Do Do Drink, Don't Do Drunk'.

The stark black posters contain various cryptic sentences that point out the anti-social behaviour and very real dangers associated with excessive drinking, such as being an easy target for muggers, becoming ill or violent and losing sexual inhibitions.

The posters will be displayed in pubs, bars, police stations, accident and emergency ward waiting areas, university campuses and on public transport in Blackpool and up and down the country. They are aimed at 18 to 24-year-old drinkers, who may not even realise they have a drink problem, yet consistently indulge in drinking to excess.

Director of The Portman Group, Jean Coussins, said: "This campaign is the start of a long haul to change the image of drunkenness and the culture of excess around alcohol in Britain. Enjoy a drink by all means. But getting drunk should be as socially unacceptable as drink-driving."

Health Minister Gisela Stuart welcomed the campaign and said: "Drunkenness poses many problems. Accidents, violent crime, unprotected sex and ill-health are all more likely when drinkers go too far."

Blackpool Council's acting leader, Roy Fisher, also praised the campaign by saying: "Being a magnet to many young revellers, as well as a popular destination for families, Blackpool fully appreciates the importance of campaigns urging people of all ages to think before they drink.

"It is a message we've vigorously promoted since becoming one of the first authorities in the country to ban drinking in the streets and other public areas three years ago, and the town is home to Britain's biggest outdoor booze ban."