One third of kids scared by parents drinking

Nearly a third of UK children are scared when they see adults drunk or drinking too much, according to a survey carried out for BBC TV show Newsround.

Half of the 1,234 10 to 14 year olds surveyed by children's research specialist Childwise, on behalf of the programme, said they had seen their parents drunk.

Almost half of the children questioned said they weren't bothered by adults drinking, but 16% said alcohol made adults angry and aggressive, while 30% said they were scared when their parents drank.

Tim Martin, chairman of managed operator Wetherspoon's, said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that the country needed "cultural change", but argued that, because drinking was moving away from pubs and into the home, it was becoming harder to control.

Wetherspoon's already operates a policy whereby children are only allowed in the pub if both parents and children are having a meal, and parents are permitted a maximum of two alcoholic drinks with the meal. He described this policy as an "imperfect attempt to regulate the situation in a sensible manner in pubs" which "worked well after a fashion".

He accused the Government of legislating to put pubs out of business. "The last Government thought by cracking down on pubs they could stop alcohol-related problems."

Nicolay Sorensen, director of policy and communications at Alcohol Concern, told the Today programme that 1.1 to 1.3 million children were living in families with serious alcohol misuse.

"There is an attitude of secrecy and silence around this," he added. Sorenson also admitted that it was "far harder to keep track of regulating your drinking at home", adding that most alcohol was now sold through off-licences.