AN Evening Telegraph investigation has this week highlighted the devastating alcohol problem affecting East Lancashire's young people.

Our investigation found that 369 children, including more than 100 under 11, were taken to A&E departments in the last three years because they were acutely drunk - and one in five of all admissions were aged 15 and under.

We visited St Christopher's High School, Accrington, to ask pupils what they thought about the problem.

Of the six 14-year-olds we spoke to, three boys and one girl said they had been drunk and that is was common for people of their age to have drinks at house parties with their friends.

Yet all showed a strong awareness of the dangers of alcohol and said they were confident of their limits and mindful of the dangers alcohol can cause in later life.

And they had a disdain for people who drank on the streets a regular complaint of residents concerned about loutish behaviour from drunken teenagers.

They also said they would try and get drink from friends or brothers and sisters and not stop strangers to ask them to buy booze now a criminal offence.

All the boys agreed lager was their favourite drink while the girls preferred sweeter "alcopop" style drinks.

Yet all said they had begun drinking in the last year and said many fellow pupils adamantly stayed away from the bottle, which had caused some friends to drift apart.

One girl said: "I think people that drink want to make themselves look big. I think they do it to show off but I'm not impressed. I think they are just stupid.

"I think it tends to be the more popular people who drink, I think they feel they have to join in. They see their friends do it and they want to do it, they want to get in with the crowd."

A boy pupil said he had seen alcohol divide friendship groups and added: "People who go out and drink I think spend less time with their friends at weekends than those who don't. I'd rather do something else."

Another lad said: "I have tried strong drinks, it made me feel a bit out of it. Luckily there wasn't much left in the bottle. It was an accident really because the bottle was on the top of the fridge. I definitely wouldn't drink so much that I couldn't control myself and I don't drink regularly."

One of the teenagers said he would only drink in a place he thought to be safe, such as a friend's house.

He said: "It is just chavs who hang around on streets and drink. I think parents who drink a bit themselves don't care as much and don't try and protect their children as much as those who don't."

Anecdotal stories of pupils breaking windows and getting arrested were common, the children said. Yet the youngsters said they saw alcohol as a way to "have a good time" and not a route to "get out of it."

Two pupils said they had not been drunk.

One said: "I am not bothered about drinking. If I have a drink it is with my family but it is only a sip, I don't really like the taste. I think people probably get led on by their friends to do it."

Another girl, whose parents did not give permision to be named, said: "My mum keeps all alcohol on the top shelf so I can't get at it. I'm not interested because it's spirits and I like sweeter drinks like alcopops. But I only drink on social occasions, I never drink more than one bottle.

"I think girls hang around more in a big group and flow along more with the group than boys do. I think boys are more independent, they are not as influenced by their friends.

"The more popular girls will hang around together and drink together because they follow trends."