OXFORD’S seedy underbelly is to feature in a new graphic novel aimed at highlighting the problem of alcoholism and addiction.

Tales of an Alcoholic: The Unsolved Casebook of Detective Chief Inspector Sauce features the character who, according to the author, is a dark twist on Oxford’s famous fictional detective, Inspector Morse.

Writer and artist Danny Nichols said he wanted to draw attention to the difficulties faced in a hidden battle with alcoholism and was inspired by Morse’s love of an alcoholic tipple.

The darkly comic tale sees tragic character Inspector Sauce struggle to keep his addiction under control while investigating a murder in Oxford with his sidekick Lewis.

In the book, Sauce can be seen sitting in Oxford watering holes such as the King’s Arms and the Royal Oak while other scenes depict the Bridge of Sighs and the Bodleian Library.

Mr Nichols, from south east London said: “I created the character because I always loved Inspector Morse, I found him interesting and his need to have a pint most days amusing.

“I chose to keep him in Oxford because he’s basically a pastiche of Morse but it’s also a very interesting town in an architectural sense and is a pleasure to draw.”

There were 604 adults in treatment for alcohol in Oxfordshire between April 2016 and March 2017, the majority of whom were aged 30 to 59.

Despite efforts from health organisations and Oxfordshire County Council there was no statistically significant change in the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions in Oxfordshire between 2008 and 2017 .

Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter, openly acknowledged his character’s drinking habits, with the famous detective eventually being killed off in the 1999 novel The Remorseful Day, in which he dies from complications from diabetes, exacerbated by too much alcohol.

The character was famously played on screen by John Thaw.

Mr Nichols, said he wanted to use ‘Tales of an Alcoholic’ as a way to draw attention to hidden addiction, a topic which he said was close to his heart.

The 42-year-old author and artist said: “I guess I wanted to highlight alcohol addiction because I have personal experience of it and know a lot of people who’ve struggled.

“Also a lot of comedy can be written into dysfunction too. I’ve seen a lot of funny sights.

“I hope readers realise that life is difficult to lead when battling alcoholism and that it will usually bring disaster into your world, especially if you have responsibilities.”

Tales of an Alcoholic: The unsolved Casebook of Detective Chief Inspector Sauce is now available to order on Amazon.