A new study has revealed the worrying extent of alcohol abuse in Sussex.

The study, which details the links between drink and crime, has demonstrated that widespread alcohol abuse is dramatically increasing.

Although authors of the study researched all age groups, they say it is younger people who are most regularly abusing alcohol and committing crimes.

It reveals that 90 per cent of people arrested at night in the southern part of West Sussex were drunk.

The study also shows that 31 per cent of recorded violent crime happens between 11pm and 3am and that from midnight to 2am people are ten times more likely to be assaulted than during the day.

Senior police officers said the study highlighted areas where improvements in tackling alcohol-fuelled crime must be targeted.

Chief Executive of Adur District Council, Ian Lowrie admitted there were "no easy answers".

Research in the report, which was published by the West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Team, Adur District Council and West Downs police division, was based on hospital admissions, crime statistics and police custody suites. It studied the area from Chichester through to Littlehampton, Worthing and Shoreham.

Author Derek Oakensen said: "Everyone knows there's a link between drinking and crime and we all know that things can get worse around midnight and in the early hours.

"But what we didn't know, especially from data gathered locally, was just how much this was a problem."

Among other findings in the report are that eight per cent of all admissions to Worthing accident and emergency department are between 11pm and 3am with 26 per cent of all assault injuries coming between these times.

Women make up six per cent of all arrests in the area but this rises to 15 per cent when they are drunk.

Women under 40 are "as likely - and sometimes more likely" than men to have been drinking before being arrested, the report reveals.

The number of under-age youths drinking in pubs and clubs is said to have fallen slightly.

Chief Superintendent Mark Streater, West Downs Divisional Commander, said: "Despite the increase in violent crime being significantly reduced in West Sussex over the past year, the report spotlights where partners, public, and the licensing trade must focus greater efforts in tackling alcohol-fuelled crime.

"This remains a top priority for the community safety partnerships and we remain resolute and determined in continuing to make this area one of the safest in south.

"The report also reinforces the importance of retaining localised emergency care provision in West Sussex."

Earlier this month figures released by British Transport Police showed that public disorder offences across Sussex - when people behaved abusively, aggressively or drunkenly towards other passengers or rail workers - rose from 678 cases two years ago to 960 in 2005 and 2006.

Officers blamed increasing alcohol use and football hooliganism.