PIONEERING research being carried out at two North-East hospitals is revealing the true impact of alcohol related violence in the region.

The study, which has been commissioned by alcohol charity Balance, has shown that the scale of the problem is much greater than that previously known by police.

Accident and Emergency staff at Darlington Memorial Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham have been gathering information from people involved in alcohol-related assaults to establish the scope of the problem.

The staff have been recording where and when an incident took place and whether a weapon was used.

The information is shared with police to help them target 'hotspots' in a bid to reduce alcohol-related violence and reduce hospital admissions.

The project found: * Only two-thirds of alcohol related assaults that attend A and E are reported to police.

* The number of male victims is more than double that known to police.

*Young males are least likely to report alcohol-related assaults to the police.

The North-East is the first area in the UK to implement the project region-wide.

Along with Balance, it involves the North-East Alcohol Office and Darlington Community Safety Partnership and Safe Durham Partnership.

These community safety partnerships work with local authorities, the police, the health service and other key agencies.

Sue Taylor, Partnerships Manager at Balance said: "The widespread availability and affordability of alcohol is to blame - and we need to address these issues to reduce 'second hand harm' caused by alcohol misuse.

"A big problem we face is pre-loading - or drinking copious amounts of alcohol to prepare for a night out.

"People are hitting our towns and cities already drunk - and some are ready to fight.

"This is putting an unnecessary burden on our A and E Departments, but by collecting and sharing assault data, the NHS is playing a really important role in tackling alcohol-related violence at its source."

Jon Stoddart, Chief Constable for Durham Constabulary and lead for Alcohol and Harm Reduction for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "Alcohol and alcohol-fuelled violence have a widespread impact on our communities, not only through the direct consequence of violent behaviour, but also through hidden harm to our children and future generations.

"Initiatives in improving our understanding of these issues, such as this work being undertaken by the A and E departments, really assists in helping focus our response to alcohol-related violent crime issues, and in working with the community and partners to tackling the causes at their root."