Drinking by children has halved

Drinking by children has halved in the past decade, an NHS study has found.

In 2001 a quarter of secondary school pupils drank alcohol at least once a week, but in 2010 the figure fell to just 13 per cent.

The number of adults binge-drinking has fallen over the past six years; 74 per cent of men and 83 per cent of women are now drinking within the weekly recommended guidelines.

But drinking is landing more people in hospital. Ten years ago 142,000 people were treated for injuries or illnesses directly related to alcohol.