Fewer teenagers drinking but many still binge

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) The number of British teenagers drinking alcohol has fallen but those who do are bingeing more and are often violent, a report released today said.

The Trading Standards Institute (TSI), which carried out the survey, said enforcement and education campaigns were producing encouraging results but added there were still ''worrying'' trends to address.

The proportion of children aged between 14 and 17 who had bought their own alcohol dropped from 40 to 28 per cent in the last two years, the survey found, while the number drinking at least once a week fell from 50 to 44 per cent.

However almost a third (29 per cent) who did drink were regular binge drinkers.

''Sadly we've seen at least half in the survey admitted being involved in violent behaviour as a result of binge drinking,'' TSI Chief Executive Ron Gainsford told BBC radio.

Other recent reports have highlighted problems associated with youngsters drinking.

Last year, official figures showed 20 children a day were being admitted to hospital because of excessive drinking while ambulance crews say they regularly attend to youngsters who have drunk themselves senseless.

The government's Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV said last week young people were three times more likely to have unprotected sex when they were drunk.

The TSI, which surveyed 12,000 children aged 14-17 in northwest England, found 22 per cent of respondents regretted having sex when drunk and 15 per cent had been in a car with someone who had been drinking.

''Alcohol consumption is the biggest contributory factor to hospital admissions of children on weekend nights, causing huge burdens on our health services,'' said Brenda Fullard, North West senior public health specialist for the Department of Health.

Earlier this month, the government said one of the main targets of its updated alcohol strategy would be those under 18, with the aim of developing a cultural shift in people's attitudes towards drink.

It also vowed to crack down on shops and premises that sold alcohol to those under the legal age.

''It's important we make it as difficult as possible for young people to acquire alcohol,'' Gainsford said.

''One of the worrying trends that we found is just over half of young people had been asked for proof of identity.'' Reuters LPB DB1352