One year old admitted to hospital for drinking alcohol (From Warrington Guardian)

One year old admitted to hospital for drinking alcohol

7:40am Thursday 25th October 2012 in News

A ONE-YEAR-OLD baby is the youngest person to be admitted to Warrington Hospital’s A&E department after drinking alcohol.

The shocking discovery was uncovered by a Warrington Guardian Freedom of Information request which found the tiny tot was admitted in November last year after ‘accidentally ingesting’ booze.

Figures revealed 113 under 18s were taken to A&E since April 2010 and 28 admissions since April this year after teenagers were found throwing up or alone and unconscious.

Staff added while nine 12 and 13-year-olds have also been admitted, the average age is 14 to 17-year-olds and they see a spike in attendances during the school holidays in April and August.

The news follows a second Warrington Guardian Freedom of Information request which revealed a 14-year-old boy and eight 16-year-old boys have been arrested in the town for drink driving in the last five years.

A total of 12 17-year-old boys have also been caught by police with Stockton Heath, Appleton, Stretton, Hatton and Walton being the hotspot area where the most arrests were made.

A spokesman for Warrington Hospital said: “We are not seeing an increase in underage drinkers and treating a patient as young as one for accidental ingestion of alcohol, thankfully, is extremely rare.

“When looking at our statistics for under 18s, the main concern is that they are often found on their own after drinking with friends, who have left them when they need attention most.

“These are often one off incidents for the patient and once treated we will refer them to our partner agency PHAZE for advice and support.”

A police spokesman said figures over the last five years have shown a decline in the number of underage drink drivers but it was ‘worrying’ for young drivers to display such ‘disturbing behaviour’.

He added: “Cheshire Police have seen too many young people lose their lives or end up with serious injuries when they had made the wrong decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol.

“We are really concerned especially as young drivers will be driving on the road for many years to come.”

Police campaign ‘Totally Wasted’ will be urging parents to set an example to teenagers and not get behind the wheel when they have had a drink in the run-up to Christmas.