AN ALCOHOL support group in York has spoken out about a new report which claimed children were exposed to inappropriate advertising during this year’s World Cup.

Figures just released by national awareness group Alcohol Concern estimated more than a million children between four and 15 years old were exposed to alcohol adverts during live England games this summer.

The report, released during Alcohol Awareness Week, claimed the total number of children exposed to the advertising during the entire tournament could be as high as five million, as the adverts for various brands were shown between 8pm and 10pm.

Phil Hulmes, from York Alcohol Advice Service, said the findings showed the potential danger of advertising alcohol during major events.

“There is no doubt that alcohol advertising works, both in maintaining and increasing market share and in attracting new customers. This is why the industry currently spends over £200 million per annum in the UK on advertising,” he said.

“A large proportion of alcohol advertising is aimed at young people, who we and the marketing industry know are more impressionable. The impression given by adverts is that alcohol is glamorous: it is cool, fun, sexy, harmless – all very appealing.

“The reality is that there is a significant down-side to regular, excessive consumption. The crux of Alcohol Concern’s stance, as I see it, is that there is a massive imbalance between young people’s exposure to the ‘glamorous’ message and the message that alcohol can be very dangerous and damaging.”

The alcohol adverts were all shown during matches between 8pm and 10pm and were deemed within advertising regulations, but Alcohol Concern has called for a 9pm watershed ban for alcohol adverts and a ban on advertising it on the internet.

The report suggested the more children are exposed to alcohol marketing the greater the likelihood is that they will drink more and at an earlier age.

Alcohol Concern also released a report which claimed 36 children have been admitted each day to accident and emergency wards across England since 2002.

A spokeswoman from York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said although the figures were difficult to check due to admission details, there was little doubt that underage drinkers were being admitted more frequently in the city.

“There is no doubt that we are seeing increasing numbers of underage drinkers, particularly females, and that the amount they are drinking is going up,” she said.

Phil said the only way to prevent further damage to young people would be to ban advertising altogether, but admitted this would meet with great resistance.

“Banning alcohol advertising during sport on TV rather than just before 9pm, as Alcohol Concern propose, would help to reduce exposing young people to alcohol, but those making big money out of sport – clubs, governing bodies, TV companies, drinks manufacturers, – would no doubt resist this and, in any case, would point to the fact that young people are exposed to alcohol advertising everywhere, not just through TV sport coverage, so there is a bigger issue here,” he said.

“Ultimately, we need to restrict alcohol advertising across the board, in cinemas, on hoardings, sponsorship, press and media, etc, if we want to re-brand it as a drug to be treated with caution.”