THE number of children committing drink-related crime in the Westcountry has doubled in four years, new figures show.

Almost 2,500 children in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset have been fined, cautioned or taken to court for abusing alcohol between 2003 and 2007.

Critics said that the numbers were increasing by "leaps and bounds" while the Government failed to tackle the problem.

The record figures come after the Chief Medical Officer warned earlier this month that parents who had a "laissez-faire" attitude to their children's drinking were putting them at risk.

Sir Liam Donaldson said people who allowed their teenagers to drink alcohol with their friends could be storing up problems while middle-class families who diluted their children's wine may also be misguided.

He said there was a need to challenge the stereotype of "the drunk as a hero" and pointed to self-confessed alcoholic footballers Paul Gascoigne and George Best.

According to official police figures, the number of 13 to 15-year-olds caught drunk by officers in Devon and Cornwall almost doubled from 40 to 78 in the four years to 2007. There was a similar increase in the Avon and Somerset forces area.

Of all children aged from 10 to 17, there was a rise of almost two-thirds across the two forces. Cautions against drunk children rose by 50 per cent in Devon and Cornwall. No on-the-spot fines were handed out in 2004 but by 2007, almost 100 were issued.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "These figures paint a shocking picture of how many children are being dragged into the criminal justice system through alcohol abuse.

"The problem appears to be growing worse by leaps and bounds. Ministers talk a lot about the alcohol crisis in this country but have failed to tackle it.

"Unless we change our drinking culture, we will condemn many children and adolescents to serious long-term alcohol-related illnesses or a life of crime.

"We must put an end to alcohol being sold at pocket-money prices and start educating our children about the dangers of drink or these figures will continue to get worse."

Offences included being drunk and disorderly, drink-driving and selling alcohol to other children.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are determined to reduce under-age drinking through effective education and tough enforcement."

Nationally, more than 6,000 children aged 10 to 15 were handed police cautions or taken to court for abusing alcohol in the four-year period.

Sir Liam warned that parents should avoid exposing youngsters to "alcohol-fuelled environments" or family events where drinking was the central activity.

Yet parents could show their children that – if alcohol was drunk at home – it was consumed in a "positive" setting such as a family meal.

He added that one of the risk factors for children drinking was parents having a "laissez-faire approach to a child drinking or getting drunk".

Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "Drinking among young people is a major concern for parents, many of whom have previously had no clear guidance on how to approach what can be a sensitive issue."