A REGION renowned for its hard-drinking culture is hosting a conference on curbing alcohol misuse.

In what is probably the largest conference of its kind in the North-East, experts from universities in England and Scotland are converging on the Customs House in South Shields, next month.

Among the topics will be binge drinking, alcohol advertising, alcohol education and how young people in Britain top the binge drinking league table.

Research has shown that youngsters in Tyne and Wear say they go out drinking, because there is no other leisure time alternative.

Martin Plant, director of the Alcohol and Health Research Centre in Edinburgh said: "It is clear that even by international standards the UK has a very serious problem.

"Together with the Irish, the Danes and the Fins, British teens report the highest levels of alcohol intoxication and alcohol problems in Europe."

Mr Plant, who is one of the key speakers at the conference, said the gathering will consider the nature and scale of the problem and even more importantly "begin to consider what can be done to curb it".

Other speakers include Professor Nick Heather, from the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Studies, in Newcastle, and Douglas Eadie, from the Centre for Social Marketing, in Strathclyde.

Dr Dorothy Newbury-Birch, Alcohol Strategy Coordinator for Tyne and Wear Health Action Zone and the organiser of the June 22 conference, said the the event would raise the profile of alcohol-related harm and young people.

"We also hope to give an indication of how to tackle some of the problems caused by alcohol misuse, in the action plan we will be previewing at the conference," she said.

Schools need to take a much more active role in teaching children about the potential hazards of alcohol misuse, she said.

She also expressed concern that the proposed relaxation of licensing laws could make matters worse.