Hospital doctors in Pembrokeshire had to deal with nearly 400 drug or drink related admissions every year, new figures reveal.

Conservative Parliamentary candidate Simon Hart has discovered that there were 268 drug-related admissions to Pembrokeshire hospitals in 2007-2008.

There were also 118 alcohol related admissions during the same period, a request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed.

"These figures are quite shocking and show the true cost to society of excessive drinking and drug-taking," said Mr. Hart.

He is now encouraging Pembrokeshire County Council to follow Ceredigion's lead in introducing alcohol-free zones in some towns.

The scheme has been trialled in Aberystwyth and hailed a success by Dyfed-Powys police.

It's also been revealed that the 24-hour drinking laws have stretched policing in smaller market towns more than in bigger cities.

Simon Reed, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, told MPs on the Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee last week that: "My impression of many market towns is they are really like the wild west on occasion because they are really stripped of resources."

He said that the new laws had resulted in two or three closing times as the same drunken people leave different premises throughout the night.

Mr. Hart added: "There is nothing wrong with having a few beers, but excessive drinking in public can lead to intimidating and anti-social behaviour and I think smaller towns can feel lawless when a group of drunks is wandering about.

"Rural police teams are not as used to dealing with drunkenness in the way that say, Swansea police are used to dealing with Wind Street every Friday and Saturday night."