Women over 65 are drinking more regularly than those in their late teens and early 20s, ONS figures show

14 per cent of women over 65 consume alcohol at least five days a week (E+/Getty Creative)

Women over 65 are drinking more regularly than those in their late teens and early 20s, figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest.

One in seven women that are aged 65 or over consume alcohol at least five days a week. The 14 per cent figure compares with just 2 per cent for those aged from 16 to 24.

The number of regular drinkers was 5 per cent in the 25 to 44 age bracket and 11 per cent for those aged 45 to 64. The report comes at a time of rising concern over the amount of alcohol consumed by older people.

Workers are much more likely to drink than those who are unemployed, the figures also suggested. According to the report 65 per cent of workers surveyed in 2012 had at least one drink in the previous week, compared to 48 per cent of those who were not working.

Elaine Hindal, chief executive of industry-funded charity Drinkaware, said: “There's an interesting dynamic between alcohol consumption and the negative health effects of alcohol. While it appears that people are drinking less overall, there is still a trend of heavy, episodic drinking among younger groups, and many over-45s say they drink on five or more days in the week.

Hindal added: ”There is a paradox between the groups who drink heavily and those disproportionately at risk of harm from alcohol. Although those who are less well- off report drinking less, we know that they are at more risk of alcohol-related harm. This may be because they are more likely to have poorer health overall.“