Binge Britain: 95 children under EIGHT hospitalised this year after drinking alcohol

Hundreds of children under the age of eight have been admitted to hospital suffering from the effects of alcohol, figures reveal.

They were all suffering from "alcohol-related conditions", including the toxic effects of excess alcohol, alcoholic liver disease or mental or behavioural disorders caused by their alcohol intake.

Official statistics also reveal a steep rise in the number of school-age girls being taken to hospital with drink problems.

In 2001, the numbers of boys and girls under the age of 18 being admitted to accident and emergency were level at around 3,000.

But by last year, the number of girls taken to hospital had soared by almost 50 per cent to 4,538, compared with 3,686 boys.

The figures, disclosed by ministers in a series of Parliamentary answers, will fuel increasing concern about the scale of alcohol abuse by teenagers and younger children.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted a "tipping point" has been reached where more 13-year-olds have drunk alcohol than those who have not. Scroll down for more ...

Ministers say parents must take greater responsibility, with nearly half of the alcohol being consumed by young people coming from the family home. But there is also increasing pressure on the Government to take tougher action.

Later this week, the Conservatives will unveil plans to curb binge-drinking among children by proposing higher taxes on alcopops and "super-strength" drinks.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "These are shocking figures, reflecting a culture where binge drinking is truly out of control.

"A child admitted to hospital because of alcohol before his or her eighth birthday is likely to suffer dreadful health consequences later in life.

"These children cannot wait. We need urgent action on all fronts to reverse this trend.

"The responsibility is not just on government but on drinks manufacturers, retailers and parents to recognise the scale of the problem.

"Cracking down on shops and pubs that sell alcohol to under-age kids must be a priority."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "People don't realise alcohol is a drug and it kills people taken in overdose.

"Children are particularly vulnerable to that because they don't understand the risks and they are physically smaller.

"The increase among young girls is of particular concern. It's not surprising when we continue to have irresponsible drinking glorified by celebrities like the Amy Winehouses of the world."

Professor Gilmore called for price hikes on alcopops and other strong drinks, curbs on TV advertising, and a ban on sports sponsorship by alcohol firms.

"It's very unhelpful to have footballers going around with the names of alcohol products blazoned across their chests," he said.

"It seems to me entirely irresponsible not to have a 9pm watershed on broadcast adverts, after which we should be looking to countries like France where there is a complete ban on alcohol advertising."

Chris Cloke of the NSPCC said: "Alcohol abuse can lead to children and young people being in real danger of getting a sexually transmitted disease, becoming pregnant, or being sexually assaulted.

"The NSPCC wants the Government to ensure all young people are educated about the potential risks of alcohol and for all schools to have advisory and support services on site where young people can turn for confidential advice."

In real terms, the price of alcohol has halved in the last two decades. Ministers are understood to be drawing up rules aimed at stopping supermarkets from selling alcohol as a "loss leader".

Earlier this week, the Government rejected a U-turn on 24-hour drinking but promised a "two strikes and you're out" rule for off-licences caught selling alcohol to people under 18.