THE human cost of being attacked by a glass in a pub is horrendous.

But yesterday for the first time the financial cost of a glassing attack to the NHS was revealed.

Shockingly, new figures have shown that a typical glassing incident costs the NHS about £184,000 - and ties up more than 40 NHS staff.

It was revealed as part of a campaign to crackdown on alcohol abuse across the county. Physical and sexual assaults as well as health problems such as cancer, heart disease and early death have all been linked with alcohol abuse.

Now, four major organisations in the south have joined forces in a bid to combat these problems.

Hampshire Constabulary, NHS South Central, Thames Valley Police and the Drink Aware Trust yesterday launched a year-long campaign aimed at highlighting the risks of alcohol abuse.

Representatives from each organisation are pictured below left at Southampton General Hospital to kick-start the campaign.

Simon Cole, Hampshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable, said the first part of the campaign would be focused on the resale of alcohol to under-18s.

He said: "Selling alcohol to children or buying it on their behalf is a serious criminal offence and could land offenders with an £80 fixed penalty notice or a court appearance and a fine of up to £5,000.

"Far too often, our officers seize alcohol from children in public places that has been supplied by adults.

"We are working with retailers, parents and young people themselves to make everyone aware that this is not only an offence but actually makes children more vulnerable to becoming a victim of crime."

Dr Simon Tanner, NHS south central regional director of public health, added: "It is assumed that everyone knows drinking too much alcohol can be bad for you but still we see people turning up to A&E in a very serious condition, either having been assaulted or injured while out drinking. This not only places a strain on the NHS, but most importantly on their bodies."

Thames Valley's Assistant Chief Constable Nick Gargan, said: "We are working with our partners in the NHS, Trading Standards and in the licensing trade to really highlight the risks of excessive drinking."

The launch follows last week's National Alcohol Awareness Week.