Call To Prosecute Teen Tipplers' Parents

There are calls to prosecute parents who give their children alcohol after new figures which show young girls are drinking almost twice as much as they were seven years go.

Females aged 11 to 13 consume an average of eight units a week, equivalent to four large glasses of wine, or more than a bottle.

The charity Alcohol Concern says parents who give alcohol to under-15s, even with a meal at home, should face prosecution.

The figures, published by the NHS, showed that boys admitted drinking an average of 12 units last year compared with eight in 2000.

Alcohol Concern chief executive Srabani Sen said: "We are simply not doing enough to protect our children from alcohol.

"Binge drinking by children can have serious consequences."

The charity is proposing a range of measures to tackle the problem.

These include a 16% increase in alcohol taxes and making Alcohol education a part of the National Curriculum to teach youngsters the dangers of drinking.

The Portman Group, which represents the drinks industry, said there was a case for raising the minimum age for drinking from five, but said that 15 was too high.

Chief executive David Poley said: "On the continent, parents give children small amounts of alcohol at home with their meals in a controlled way so they get used to drinking in moderation.

"They don't suffer from binge drinking issues."

Public health minister Caroline Flint said: "The Government is serious about tackling alcohol- related harm and excessive consumption.,

"Recent data shows that levels of binge drinking are no longer rising.

"The new alcohol strategy to be published this summer will continue to drive reductions in alcohol related offending and harmful behaviour."

She said the strategy will combine "education, treatment and tough penalties".

Sky News