A charity is urging Britons to stop drinking for the whole of January to avoid more than 4.5 million working days being lost to hangovers.

Alcohol Concern has issued its Dry January challenge to drinkers on the back of statistics estimating that 200,000 people go to work with a hangover every day, costing the economy around £6.4 billion every year.

The campaign follows the charity's Alcohol Harm Map which found the biggest drain on NHS resources were baby boomers, not binge drinkers.

The charity hopes those taking part will use it "as an opportunity to ditch the hangover, reduce their waistline, and think about whether their drinking is really working for them".

Alcohol Concern spokeswoman Emily Robinson said: "Even having just a few beers after work or a few glasses of wine at home too often can take you over safe limits and store up problems for the future."