According to a new report by NHS, deaths linked to liver disease in England have risen to their record levels after rising 25 per cent in less than a decade.

Health experts believe that heavy drinking, obesity and hepatitis are the reasons for the increase in liver disease in England. The new report by National End of Life Care Intelligence Network showed that men were more affected than women.

It also showed that the number of fatalities were the highest in North West. The number of people who dies from liver diseases increased from 9,231 in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009, according to the report.

Prof Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease said that the report shows that attention must be paid to the disease.

"Over 70% end up dying in hospital and this report is timely in helping us understand the challenges in managing end-of-life care for this group of people. The key drivers for increasing numbers of deaths from liver disease are all preventable, such as alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. We must focus our efforts and tackle this problem sooner rather than later," he said.

The National End of Life Care Intelligence Network studied deaths from liver disease across England between 2001 and 2009 for the study.