SOUTH Cheshire residents are being urged to ‘rethink their drink’ during Alcohol Awareness Week.

Cheshire East Council is supporting the national Know Your Limits Campaign this week.

Council bosses are encouraging people across the country to take stock of how much they are drinking by keeping a ‘drink diary’ for the week.

More than 10 million adults, a quarter of the population of England, drink more that the recommended amount each week.

Of these, 2.6 million, eight per cent of men and six percent of women, regularly drink amounts that qualify as high-risk.

Councillor Andrew Knowles said: “It’s very easy to get into a routine of regular drinking which exceeds recommended guidelines and young people in particular are vulnerable.

"For example if a man drinks a couple of pints of beer each day he is drinking well above lower-risk guidelines.

“There are around 16,000 premature deaths each year in England and Wales associated with alcohol misuse – a figure that has doubled since the early 90s.

"Strong evidence suggests that alcohol misuse can lead to certain types of cancer including breast and liver, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and strokes and liver disease.

“Keeping a drink diary for a week is really easy and will make you stop and think about your alcohol intake and if you need to cut back.”

South Cheshire councillor Brian Silvester said: “Drinking excessively and irresponsibly is not only bad for a person’s health but has been proven to have a direct link with crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and violence.

“If more people drank sensibly it would drastically reduce the cost to local taxpayers of maintaining Cheshire East as a safe and secure place to live.

“Cheshire East is fully behind this campaign which encourages people to take a hard look at their alcohol consumption each week, drink responsibly and recognise their limits.”