North East tops alcohol-related hospital admissions league table

The North East has the highest rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions in England, according to new figures.

2.5% of people in the region were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related reasons in 2012-13. The statistics have been published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

The figure for Middlesbrough, at 3.28%, was the highest of any local authority area in England.

This is significantly above the national average figure of 1.89%. The South East had the lowest rate in England, at 1.5%.