When it comes to binge drinking, it’s the girls that really need to consider calling time on their boozing.

An increasing number of women are indulging in drunken nights out and excessive drinking at the home without understanding the amount of damage they are doing, according to a Kent GP.

Now he is warning that unless ladies wise up to the amount of alcohol they consume, they face serious long-term health problems.

Dr Julian Spinks, of Courtview Surgery at Strood, near Rochester, said: "The alcohol industry is starting to target women much more than they used to, probably because they feel the market for male drinking is at its peak.

"I have seen a lot more suffering the effects of excessive drinking in my surgery – there are those who have fallen over while drunk, and there are far more cases of alcoholism in women than there were 20 years ago. This has to reflect on the fact that there is a lot more binge drinking.”

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Dr Spinks said many women believe they are consuming an acceptable amount of alcohol, but are frequently exceeding the recommended daily intake, which opens the door to liver and heart disease, as well as fertility problems.

He added: "I think we need to work with the drinks industry, they need to look more carefully at ways of promoting healthy drinking.

"I don’t see enormous amounts coming out of industry about safe drinking – mostly it’s just a tiny little logo in middle of very persuasive drinks advert on the television."