Violent patients have been warned they may be refused all but emergency treatment if they threaten hospital staff.

The warning comes after the most recent figures show an increase in reported attacks on hospital staff.

Health bosses have reinforced efforts to combat hospital violence by sending eight members of staff on a specialist course to teach others to deal with abusive or violent patients.

To become qualified in teaching staff to resolve conflict, break away from an aggressor and how to control and restrain violent patients the practical trainers were sent on an intensive two-week course.

Violence at the Royal Preston Hospital (RPH) and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, Chorley, increased to 424 reported incidents between November 2004 and November 2005, up from the 350 reported cases for the previous 12 months.

The number of injuries resulting from the incidents were down from 64 in 2004 to 62 in 2005.

Maureen Cowburn, physical risk officer at RPH, said while reported incidents may be up, in her seven years experience at the hospital the number of actual attacks has not increased.

"On average it has not got any worse. But now we are getting tough with the staff to report it, and they are getting tough with patients and relatives," she added.

Mrs Cowburn said that a lot of the violence was perpetrated by drug addicts, alcoholics, or patients with psychological problems.

She said the training for dealing effectively with conflict and how to defuse a potentially violent incident would be open to all staff at the hospitals.

Trevor Loftus, physical risk manager, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, added: "The trust operates a zero tolerance policy against violence and aggression, which can result in violent or aggressive patients who attack or verbally assault hospital staff being refused all but emergency treatment."