Police chief blames drinks industry for Binge Britain by selling alcohol 'cheaper than water'

Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, accused drinks companies of 'marketing alcohol to children' and making profits 'on the back of misery'.

His comments came as innocent 48-year-old Gareth Avery recovered in hospital from a vicious beating by drunk thugs who broke his jaw and cheekbone in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

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And outside Kingston Crown Court Gary Nicholls was condemning the sentences given to two thugs who attacked him outside a party to celebrate his parents' golden wedding anniversary.

Mr Jones castigated parents who are responsible for handing over alcohol to more than half of underage drinkers, and warned it was time for the Britain to 'wake up' to the grim realities of the binge-drinking epidemic.

"Why is it we have got ourselves into a position where lager is being sold cheaper than water?" asked the former chief constable of Sussex, who now speaks on behalf of the country's senior police officers.

"Why is it we have got huge entertainment and drinks companies marketing alcohol to children?"

In the past supermarkets stocked a handful of drinks targeted at youngsters, but "now we have gondolas of them", he said - the term used to describe large display units.

He accused parts of the drinks industry of not taking the problems seriously, adding: "We can't allow them to continue to export their negative costs on to the streets, hospitals and into the criminal justice system. It's got to stop."

Mr Jones said police could enforce the law until they were 'blue in the face', but an 'endtoend' approach was needed.

He highlighted research showing that more than half of underage drinkers are given booze by their parents.

"Fundamentally this is about how the kids get hold of alcohol. We know a good half of them are getting it from the family, so there is a message to parents and communities too," he told Radio 4's Today programme.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show the number of children admitted to hospital due to binge-drinking has soared almost 40 per cent since 2001 - from 5,900 to 8,100 last year. In some areas the numbers have risen more than 80 per cent in six years.

Health spokesman Norman Lamb called the rise "a dangerously escalating public health crisis".

Last week the Home Office announced a review of supermarket and off-licence drink sales, with ministers threatening legislation to outlaw ' lossleader' sales at below cost price unless shops heed the warnings and fall into line.

But supermarkets hit back. A Tesco spokesman said: 'Our sales data show that those taking advantage of discounts are those doing family shops. Simply linking binge-drinking to supermarket prices is misleading. Mediterranean countries have cheaper alcohol and they don't have the same problems as Britain.