Drinking alcohol on the Tube should be banned in a bid to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, Boris Johnson said today.

The Tory mayoral candidate claimed many Londoners were afraid of taking the Underground at night because of aggressive drunks.

Figures released by the Mayor show that 40 per cent of violent crime in London is alcohol related.

Mr Johnson's "get tough" approach comes after the Standard revealed that some London A&E units are treating twice as many drunken patients as they did before 24-hour drinking laws.

He said: "London has a higher rate of alcohol-related crimes than any other region in England and I have been told time and again that people are scared of taking the Underground late at night. Too many people find themselves forced to sit opposite someone swigging from a can of lager and engaging in behaviour that is intimidating or worse. I want everyone's journeys to be safer."

He said he would ban drinking alcohol on the Tube by amending the London Underground conditions of carriage. The Tory candidate today visited Bexley, where violent crime has fallen 22 per cent, to talk to landlords about how they deal with anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, Brian Paddick pledged to provide free travel for all students in full-time education. The Lib-Dem candidate told a hustings at the University of London that the move would dramatically cut the cost of living for students.

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