REVELLERS in York are being warned of the dangers of binge drinking in the run up to Christmas.

The warning comes as police continue to investigate after a young clubber was seriously injured when he plunged from a balcony on to a packed dance floor in a York nightclub.

Ali Tubbs, service manager at York Alcohol Advice Service, said more people were in danger of binge-drinking at this time of year.

She said: "At this time of year, alcohol tends to be around more, it's more in your face and it is promoted more.

"It's a cultural thing around Christmas. There's an attitude of It's Christmas so I can have as much to drink as I like and worry about it aftewards'."

She said January was a busy time of year for the organisation, which provides counselling, support and advice.

"A lot of people realise they have drunk a lot at Christmas and New Year and they are struggling to pull that back, so they want to come and talk to someone about it," she said.

She warned people not to drink for a lot of hours at a time.

"Particularly at this time of year, people will start Christmas parties straight after work, then go for drinks, then for a meal and go on to a club. That's a lot of time to be drinking."

She said party-goers should make sure they eat before they go drinking and have a soft drink for every alcoholic one.

They should also put their drink down between mouthfuls so they are not drinking continuously, and take care not to mix their drinks.

She also warned people not to be sucked into drinking more by cheap drinks promotions, which become more popular in both pubs and supermarkets during the festive season.

The Press told yesterday how hundreds of onlookers watched in horror as the 21-year-old local man survived a drop of more than 20ft in The Gallery in the early hours of Saturday.

He was taken to hospital with serious head and back injuries but was discharged yesterday.

A police spokeswoman said: "The enquiry is still on-going.

"Five witnesses have come forward to say that he fell accidentally and had not been pushed."

She said police were hoping to interview him about what happened.

Hundreds of revellers who had been in the venue on Friday night had to leave their names and addresses for detectives as they left the club.

The Gallery remained open for business as usual for the rest of the weekend.

* York Alcohol advice Service is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and from 9am to 8pm on Wednesdays. For more information, phone 01904 652 104.