Booze ban urged for under-15s

A blanket ban on alcohol for the under-15s should be introduced in a bid to cut youth drinking, according to a charity.

Alcohol Concern said parents who do give children a tipple - even with a meal - should be taken to court.

The amount of booze consumed by 11 to 13-year-olds has shot up in recent years.

Girls in the age group who had drunk alcohol in the previous week admitted to consuming an average of just over eight units in 2006, compared with just under five in 2000.

And boys admitted drinking an average of 12 units last year compared with eight in 2000, the survey by special NHS trust the Information Centre showed.

An Alcohol Concern spokesman said: "Currently it is legal to provide children as young as five with alcohol in a private home."

He continued: "Raising the age limit to 15 would send a stronger message to parents of the risks associated with letting very young people consume alcohol.

"We hope it would send a message to parents that underage consumption is an important issue, and may help them think about whether they are helping their child drink alcohol."

The report, entitled Glass Half Empty, looked at the impact of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, which was published three years ago.

Alcohol Concern chief executive Srabani Sen said: "Our report shows that we are simply not doing enough to protect our children from alcohol.

"Binge drinking by children can have serious consequences for brain function, significantly raises the risk of alcohol dependency in later life and diminishes their life chances."

Alcohol Concern said the sale of alcohol to underage children should be more vigorously enforced after recent Home Office-led stings showed 29 per cent of children were able to buy booze in pubs and bars.

Alcohol TV advertising should be banned before the watershed and in cinemas during programmes below the 18 certificate and alcohol education should also become part of the National Curriculum to teach youngsters the dangers of binge drinking, the charity said.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.