Southampton shoppers were given a free five-minute city centre health check.

Organisers told shoppers one way to a healthy lifestyle is to cut down on the boozing.

They said that those who cut down on the alcohol were likely to have less fat, lower blood pressure and be less dehydrated.

Wellness company Salter and HoMedics' organised the Town Check Up yesterday at WestQuay Shopping Centre. It comes after the Daily Echo revealed Hampshire was in the centre of a booze crisis with alcohol responsible for seven out of ten people taken to Southampton General Hospital's casualty department on Friday and Saturday nights.

A study also exposed Southampton as the third worst city in the country for alcohol-fuelled violence.

Yesterday the Government launched a £6m anti-boozing campaign.

Jo Strang, organiser of the WestQuay health check, said: "If people drink excessively I would expect to see a higher percentage of fat, lower muscle mass and increased blood pressure.

"Drinking too much causes a general unhealthiness and tends to go hand-in-hand with other factors that negatively affect a person's general wellbeing such as diet, exercise and stress."

The company will be visiting a number of cities around the country to measure general health trends and see how different places compare in the obesity and wellbeing stakes.

Nurses carried out free five-minute medical examinations to check body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, and blood pressure.

Jo added that nurses were on hand to give people information about a variety of issues and could talk to them about excessive drinking and give advice on health and lifestyle changes.

This health check-up was carried out in a town centre shopping complex after the Daily Echo launched a campaign to curb the city's alcohol problem.

Among those having their health checked at the Town Check-Up event were MP Sandra Gidley and reporter Simon Carr.