A PROJECT to find out why the north west has the country's biggest booze problem has had a celebrity launch.

One person in the region is admitted to hospital every seven minutes with an alcohol related condition and 73,000 crimes last year were linked to drink.

Coronation Street actress Kym Ryder - who plays barmaid Michelle Connor in the TV soap - helped Children's Minister and Stretford and Urmston MP Beverley Hughes launch the Big Drink Debate from the set of the Rovers Return.

The debate, part of a regional programme called Our Life, aims to find out more about drinking habits, people's views on drinking across the region and how booze affects their health, safety and well being.

Go online

Kym said: "The Big Drink Debate is designed to create discussion around the role alcohol plays in people's lives.

"We want as many people as possible across the north west to fill in the questionnaire or go online and have their say."

The largest survey of its kind ever to be undertaken in the region, the anonymous questionnaire will be asking 650,000 people about the role alcohol plays in their lives.

Ms Hughes said: "I am pleased to support this innovative approach.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the people of the north west to shape what action we could take to reduce levels of harmful drinking in our region."

To have your say, go to www.bigdrinkdebate.com and fill in the questionnaire.