New crackdown on summer drinking

Teenager Amy Small on how she started drinking when she was 14

Areas of England blighted by summer binge drinking are to receive extra government money to tackle the problem.

A total of £1.4m has been made available for 69 towns and boroughs to help provide tougher enforcement and support for teenagers who drink.

Each area will have to draw up a plan to show how the money will be spent.

Both police and youth services say under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour often worsen during the school summer holidays.

The action plans must include commitments to tough enforcement, early intervention and communication with local communities to make sure they are aware of the work being done.

But when the extra money is divided between the 69 recipients, each will receive less than £21,000.

The funding announcement came after a report by the London Assembly revealed that about 2,000 under-age drinkers in the capital were receiving treatment for alcohol dependence.

Earlier this year, the government's chief medial officer Sir Liam Donaldson recommended children under 15 should not drink any alcohol at all - not even small amounts provided by their parents.