Hospital admissions for street violence rise 47 per cent in five years

Hospitals have seen a 47 per cent increase in admissions resulting from street fights in just five years. In 2002-03, prior to the introduction of 24-hour drinking, 5,044 patients who had been hurt in brawls were admitted. By last year that number had soared to 7,432.

The figures, released this week, only cover minor injuries, such as being struck, kicked, twisted, bitten or scratched. The number of admissions for more serious types of violence, such as a sustained beating or an attack with a weapon, is far higher.

A Cardiff University study has estimated that there were more than 350,000 such casualties last year - of which around 15,300 were women. The latest figures fuel concerns about the impact on disorder of Labour's November 2005 liberalisation of the licensing laws.

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