Brit teens downing 177 pints of beer a year

London, March 28 : More than a quarter of 15 and 16-year-old Brits binge drink every week, downing at least 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer a year, according to a shocking new survey.

In the survey, by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, 85 per cent of teenagers admitted to drinking and just under half said they drank at least once a week.

Of these, 40 per cent of girls and 42 per cent of boys have been involved in violence, the report found.

The poll of nearly 10,000 teens in the North West also showed that up to a third are regular binge drinkers, guzzling five drinks or more at a time.

"The figures are staggering," The Sun quoted Prof Mark Bellis, who led research, as saying.

Alcohol campaigner Michael Thomson, of The Portman Group, blamed boozy celebs and troubled stars for the shocking trend.

"We're regularly seeing celebrities like Jordan and Alex Curran plastered on nights out," Thomson said.

ANI