Alcohol-related admissions to GPs and hospitals in Haringey have doubled in four years and most are linked to binge-drinking.

As many as 15 people a week were treated by the borough's hospitals or GPs for alcohol-related problems last year, according to NHS figures.

About two-thirds of admissions were linked to intoxication and injury resulting from binge- drinking.

Between April 2006 and March 2007, 791 people were treated by a Haringey GP or hospital services for a primary or secondary diagnosis linked to alcohol, compared to 384 in 2003 to 2004. Hospital admissions soared by a third in the same period.

Hospital managers blame the increase on more people drinking at home and bingeing on cheap alcohol before going out.

Eugenia Cronin, joint director of public health for Haringey Teaching PCT and Haringey Council, said: "We note that patterns of drinking behaviour in the UK are changing.

"The average consumption of alcohol outside the home reduced by 170ml per week, while the average consumption in the home increased by 200ml per week, between 1992 and 2006.

'It may be the case that people preload' with shop-bought alcohol before going out in the evening.

"This contributes to intoxication, accidents, fights and alcohol poisoning. The changing culture may have been brought about by the availability of cheap alcohol."

However, she stressed the increase in alcohol-related admissions in Haringey was average for London and reflected a wider problem.

The Accident and Emergency department at North Middlesex University Hospital, in Edmonton, is piloting a project to screen patients for excessive alcohol use. Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust also runs a project to tackle problem drinking.

Ms Cronin added: "The Haringey Advisory Group on Alcohol is a voluntary sector organisation providing a low-level intervention programme, structured day programmes, community detoxification and referral for specialised in-patient detoxification.

'We are currently reviewing the Haringey Alcohol Strategy which will be based on a comprehensive needs assessment.'' Dr John Foster, a social scientist at Middlesex University, has undertaken several studies on the impacts of alcohol use.

He said: "I suspect this is largely to do with with the increase in heavy drinking among young people, between the ages of 18 and 26. But we also know that there are an increasing number of alcohol-related illnesses, such as liver disease.

"People working in the area are saying, particularly with liver disease, that the age range of people coming through their departments is dropping."

Chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, Tim Straughan, who collated the local statistics, said: "This report shows alcohol is placing an increasing burden right across the NHS - from the GP surgery to the hospital bed.

"These rises paint a worrying picture about the relationship between the population and the bottle."

According to NHS guidelines, men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol per day and women no more than two to three units.