SWINDON has the lowest rate of people being admitted to hospital as an emergency for alcohol-related liver disease, it has emerged.

Health officials have mapped out the emergency admissions rate for places in England, with the North West and the North East pinpointed to be the places with the highest hospital admissions.

The data was released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

Swindon and Wiltshire were joined by Bath and Gloucestershire with the lowest emergency admission rates for the condition, which refers to liver damage caused by alcohol misuse.

Death rates linked to alcohol-related liver disease have risen "considerably" over the last few decades, according to the NHS

Health service guidance suggests the most effective way to prevent the condition is to stop drinking or stick to the recommended daily limits, with at least two alcohol-free days a week.

Nationally hospitals admitted 10,500 cases of alcohol-related liver disease between April 2013 and March 2014, according to HSCIC.

The map shows rates of regional emergency admissions for every 100,000 people living in each area during this timeframe.

The place with the highest rate of admissions was Greater Manchester where 45.8 people out of every 100,000 living in the region were admitted as an emergency.

In Merseyside there were 41.3 admissions per every 100,000 people and in Lancashire there were 38.9 admissions per 100,000 of the population.

Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire saw 14.7 out of every 100,000 people admitted.

HSCIC chairman Kingsley Manning said: "This map paints a powerful picture of one of the many impacts that alcohol has on patients and the NHS in this country."

To see the map visit www.hscic.gov.uk.