The number of women going to hospital after drinking too much has increased by 65pc in Norfolk in the last five years.In new evidence of the growing “ladette” culture, last year 148 women and nine girls under 18 were admitted to hospital for alcohol poisoning, up from a total of 95 women and girls in 2003-4.

The number of women going to hospital after drinking too much has increased by 65pc in Norfolk in the last five years.

In new evidence of the growing “ladette” culture, last year 148 women and nine girls under 18 were admitted to hospital for alcohol poisoning, up from a total of 95 women and girls in 2003-4.

Six boys under 18 and 137 men were in hospital for the same reason, up 57pc on five years before.

The figures, which are for the 2007-8 financial year, were released by the Department of Health in response to a parliamentary question from the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems and others, including the government's chief medical officer, have called for cheap alcohol to be banned.

Simon Wright, Liberal Democrat candidate for Norwich South, said: “Many people still assume that alcohol abuse and drunkenness is a problem that mainly affects young men, but these figures reveal the shocking truth of alcohol abuse among women.

“More admissions to hospital for alcohol poisoning were made by women than men last year, and the figures are growing faster among women.”

The figures for Yarmouth and Waveney show a slight drop in women being hospitalised - down from 32 in 2003-4 to 28 in 2007-8.

The figures for men were 30, the same in both years.

Earlier this month, the Norfolk Drug and Alcohol Action Team said the problem of women drinking too much had been steadily increasing over the past five years both regionally and nationally.

Daniel Harry, partnership liaison officer at Nordat, said that women drinking heavily are increasing their risk of diseases such as breast cancer and may also be putting their personal safety at risk when they go out.