AS peer pressure takes a central role in the Neknomination craze, it could be parents who are the key to putting a halt to the online drinking game.

The drinking challenge which sees individuals downing various amounts and types of alcohol has reportedly led to four deaths in the UK and Ireland, raising concerns in Warrington to get the trend stopped.

Birchwood GP Dr Simon Redfearn believes that parents could be pivotal in helping their children resist the game, in what is becoming a drink-fuelled society.

He said: “We live in a culture where people don’t understand the dangers of alcohol misuse.

“Binge drinking can increase the risk of heart attack, cause you to vomit and if you’re sick when very drunk you could breathe in your own vomit and suffocate.

“We don’t want our community to be hit by a tragedy and want to reach out to parents to be aware of the peer pressure surrounding young people to take part and the role parents have in supporting their children to resist peer pressure.”

Ad Green, from Appleton, took part in the game after being nominated but feels that there is a place for the game, as long as care is taken.

The 20-year-old said: “I think that neck nominations are a bit of fun but a lot of people have taken it too far.

“I had fun making my video and kept in the spirit of the game without putting myself in danger.

“Mine consisted of drinking one bottle of Corona in my video knowing that I could handle this amount of alcohol.”

One of Warrington’s gyms has decided to combat the infamous game by taking part in a fitness-related version for charity.

Members of CrossFit Warrington have been nominating each other to carry out a certain number of pull-ups – labelled the pull-up pyramid – and to then donate £1 to charity before nominating somebody else.

One member, Andy Heaton, said: “Some of the Neknominations are a joke; I don’t know how people in their right minds can think it is ok.

“The pull-up pyramid challenge is awesome as it promotes fitness which is always good and the donation to charity is actually going towards doing something good.”