A recent study has shown that children as 11 years old are drinking the equivalent of 8 pints of beer a week. The report carried out by the NHS Information Centre found that in the worst area - the North East of England - children aged between 11 and 15 years old who drink alcohol consume an average of 17.7 units each week.

The NHS report also found that girls in the North East drank, on average 15.5 units of alcohol each week, well above the recommended level of 14 - 21 units a week for the average adult female.

The figures for London showed that children claimed to drink 11.3 units per week, equivalent to 6 pints of beer or a bottle of wine.