LONDON A hardcore of pre-teenage children are consuming more alcohol than ever, a government report has found. Almost one in ten of 11 to 13-year-olds questioned had drunk alcohol in the previous seven days.

The average weekly alcohol intake among this group has doubled in the past five years to 10.1 units, the equivalent of five pints of beer.

More than 8,200 secondary school pupils were surveyed for the study, which found that the number of 11 to 15-year-olds who have never drunk alcohol rose from 39 per cent in 2003 to 45 per cent last year. But one in five said that they had been drunk in the week before the survey was taken, and 53 per cent thought their parents did not mind them consuming alcohol in moderation.

Deborah Cameron, chief executive of the charity Addaction, said: “The problem is that alcohol is ridiculously cheap, and too easy for children to get hold of. Yes, we need to stop promotions in supermarkets and keep up pressure on shops to prevent underage sales, but we also have to ask whether families are as aware as they should be of the risks of heavy drinking for children.”

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