STEROID abuse has become so serious that North-East teenagers are taking the drug just to look good on their holidays, according to a doctor in the region.

Dr Rob Dawson, from Rowlands Gill, near Gateshead, said: "It's not just about body-building any more, it's pure looks as well."

The GP said the changing nature of anabolic steroid abuse was a wake-up call for the UK to take the growing problem more seriously.

While the banned drug can help build muscle as part of a regime of exercise and diet, it has potentially dangerous side-effects.

Steroids can reduce fertility, damage kidneys, shrink testicles and expose users who inject to blood disorders.

Steroid-takers can develop acne, oily skin and unwanted breast tissue.

Dr Dawson, who has helped about 600 people with steroid problems since setting up a Drugs In Sport User's Support (Discus) clinic nine years ago, said the problem was spreading from bodybuilders to teenagers, who wanted to impress the opposite sex on the beach or look good on the dancefloor.

He said: "The majority I see are bodybuilders but I have some young patients who have been taking them before their holiday to try to get their body into shape."

The GP said more Discus clinics should be set up around the UK.

"It is a great problem and we only see the tip of the iceberg," he said.

Dr Dawson said significant numbers of schoolchildren were dabbling with steroids, adding: "We are talking about kids who are probably using and are not seeking medical help.

"What we are trying to do now is debunk the myth that this is not going on."

He pointed to a survey on Merseyside four years ago, which found that 2.4 per cent of school-age boys had used anabolic steroids.

Dr Dawson said: "It is very nave of us to believe that it is not going on. The difficulty is, as doctors, we have lost our position of trust as people they can come to."

He urged people with concerns about steroid use to raise the issue with their GPs.

"It is an offence to supply steroids but not to use them, which means people have the chance to seek medical care without fear of being criminalised," he said.