NEW figures reveal that in the last three years North Ayrshire ambulance services have been forced to attend 1,558 drink-related emergencies.

Across Scotland there have been 53,141 alcohol-related incidents in the past three years, the equivalent of nearly 50 a day.

And the true number is likely to be even higher, as paramedics often don’t specifically record if alcohol was one of the causes of the emergency.

The figures come as the Scottish Ambulance Service struggles to deal with the scale of demand across Scotland.

It was reported earlier this year that police and fire services have been called upon to help out with certain patients.

West Scotland MSP, Jamie Greene, raised concerns over these figures, saying that whilst there has been a drop in North Ayrshire, drink-related emergencies are still too common and highlight a significant challenge for North Ayrshire.

He said that the SNP government need to ensure that NHS Ayrshire and Arran was properly resourced to deal with this huge intake of patients stemming from alcohol.

Mr Greene added: “These figures are troubling; we’re currently averaging 519 alcohol related emergencies in North Ayrshire each year. This puts incredible strain on our local health service and raises financial pressures on hospitals. It’s vital that the SNP government ensures that our NHS is adequately resourced to cope.”