GLASGOW has more men and women dying from booze than anywhere else in the UK.

New figures show in the years from 1998 to 2004 drink was responsible for the deaths of more than 200 men and 84 women in the city each year.

This was the worst record in the UK.

But today health bosses in the city said they were leading the fight against the devastating impact of alcohol on Scotland.

The woman at the helm of the city's strategy said the health service must come up with more cash to help all 50,000 problem drinkers in the West of Scotland.

And Catriona Renfrew, chairwoman of Greater Glasgow and Clyde Alcohol Action Team, warned: "People are drinking themselves to death and don't realise they have a problem."

Figures from the Office for National Statistics published yesterday show Scots are twice as likely to die from alcohol-related deaths as drinkers in the UK as a whole. There were 2372 alcohol-related deaths in Scotland in 2005, an increase of 72% since 1995.

The figures came on the same day the Executive published its updated alcohol action plan.

As reported in later editions of last night's Evening Times, this included a crackdown on licensed premises which sell to underage drinkers being rolled out across the country.

Ms Renfrew warned: "The death toll is just the tip of the iceberg.

"We have an estimated 50,000 problem drinkers in our area but only 2000 to 3000 getting treatment.

"Alcohol exacts a terrible toll on family life through domestic violence and child abuse and is a major factor in assaults."

She said police, council, social work and education departments, the procurator fiscal, prison service and voluntary groups were working together to boost awareness and enforcement as well as improve treatment.

Ms Renfrew said: "The stereotypes of middle-aged and older problem drinkers don't tell the whole story.

"More young people, especially young women, are developing drink problems and preventing sales is an important part of tackling this.

"It is also important to educate people and the earlier someone gets help, the less damage they are likely to face."

GPs are being encouraged to spot signs of alcohol problems and the health board is encouraging family doctors to take the same approach to excess drinking as they do with patients who smoke.

Alcohol liaison nurses are in place across the city to support staff who suspect someone has a drink problem.

The city has also reversed an earlier policy of centralising alcohol support services.

And it has worked over the past five years to improve the levels of counselling and other help available locally, through the NHS and voluntary groups like the Glasgow Council on Alcohol.

The city's community addiction teams also help people with alcohol problems and anyone can contact their local team through Glasgow City Council's website and get a referral to an alcohol-based service that suits them.