The number of people dying from alcohol abuse has risen by almost half in five years in some parts of Britain, according to Government figures.

Across England and Wales the number of deaths put down to conditions such as alcoholic liver disease and alcohol poisoning have increased by 18.4 per cent, but in Yorkshire and the Humber - the region which saw the biggest increase - alcohol-related deaths rose by 46.5 per cent between 2000 and 2004.

The Office for National Statistics's figures have prompted fresh concerns over plans to relax the alcohol licensing laws, to allow many pubs and clubs to open later.

Judges warned last week that the reform will encourage more binge-drinking behaviour and not lead to the more restrained drinking habits seen in other parts of Europe.

There were 6,544 deaths where alcohol was the primary cause in England and Wales in 2004 - compared to 5,525 in 2000. In Yorkshire and the Humber, the number of alcohol-related deaths increased from 428 in 2000 to 627 in 2004.

The region which saw the next largest increase was the North East, up 28.4 per cent from 335 to 430, followed by the West Midlands, up 24.2 per cent from 604 to 750.

The North West saw alcohol deaths rise 24.1 per cent from 950 to 1,179, while in Wales deaths increased 21.4 per cent from 345 to 419.

In comparison, London saw alcohol-related deaths drop by 4.2 per cent from 806 in 2000 to 772 to 2004.

The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question lodged by the Liberal Democrats. Lynne Featherstone, the Lib Dems’ spokesman on police, crime and disorder, said she found them "deeply worrying".

"The Government must address the underlying reasons why people are drinking themselves literally to death," she said. "I am worried that the proposed change to licensing laws will add to this startling increase in drink-related deaths. The Government should pause for more thought before it brings in the changes to the licensing laws in November."

Charity Alcohol Concern said that the increase in alcohol-related deaths was "sadly not surprising". A spokeswoman said: "Alcohol consumption has been rising over the last 50 years in the UK, and currently around eight million people drink above safe levels each year.

"According to the Government’s own research, the cost of alcohol-related harm is around £20 billion annually, and there is, of course, the human cost to children and families of problem drinkers. Yet despite this we have seen no sign of investment for specialist alcohol services who are simply unable to offer help to all those who need it.

"If we are to turn the tide we must invest in the sorts of public awareness campaigns we have seen for smoking to raise awareness of the problem and to ensure that help-giving agencies have the resources to deal with all who need them."

Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, blamed Labour for failing to tackle problem drinking.

"There is no quick fix solution to the problem," he warned. "We need a broad-based public health approach, which addresses licensing laws and the underlying factors of peer pressure and social behaviour. Unfortunately under Labour our public health service has been fragmented and ignored."

A Department of Health spokeswoman defended the Government's record. She said: "The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, published last year, was the first co-ordinated strategy to tackle alcohol misuse.

"Department of Health and Home Office are jointly responsible for implementation of the strategy in partnership with stakeholders within and outside Government."

The spokeswoman added: "Measures include improving communication so that sensible drinking messages are more relevant to people’s day-to-day experiences.

"We are working to improve training of health professionals to recognise the damage caused by alcohol and encouraging them to screen for alcohol-related problems and to offer interventions for those whose alcohol use is putting them at risk of future harm. Similar initiatives will be introduced in criminal justice settings aimed at reducing repeat offending."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, added: "The Licensing Act introduces more checks and balances to help the police and local authorities crack down on premises which are selling to those who are underage or already drunk.

"Flexible opening hours will reduce the need to speed drink. It will end the double madness of people gulping two or three rounds of drinks to beat last orders."

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