THE number of young people admitted to hospital due to both alcohol and substance misuse in Barnsley is among the highest in the region, according to new data released by Public Health England.

And bosses at Barnsley Hospital have said tougher restrictions on alcohol sales and promotion are needed to curb the trend, which has seen the hospital admit 64 people under the age of 18 for serious alcohol-related conditions such as liver failure from 2015 to 2018.

Barnsley has the fifth-highest number of such admissions in the region - below Leeds, Bradford, the whole North Yorkshire area, and Kingston-upon-Hull.

This means a ratio of 42.8 per 100,000 people under 18 are admitted to hospital for ‘alcohol-specific’ conditions, which are those wholly attributable to alcohol - compared to the national average of 32.9, and an average of 33.4 for Yorkshire and the Humber.

This does not include admissions where alcohol is only one contributing factor, such as injury caused by intoxication or other illnesses relating to drinking.

“In Barnsley, more people drink harmful amounts of alcohol than compared with other parts of Yorkshire and England,” said Dr Andy Snell, public health consultant for Barnsley.

“This includes young people drinking too much.

“The hospital sees too many people under the age of 18 needing to come to A and E or be admitted to hospital due to consuming too much alcohol.

“This needs to change so that the people of Barnsley can have good and healthy lives.

“It needs everyone in Barnsley to be involved in that change, including places that sell alcohol. Promoting or selling alcohol to people under the age of 18 years is illegal.

“Adults who drink alcohol should not exceed the recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol a week - that’s around a pint of beer a day or two 125ml glasses of wine a day. Days off drinking alcohol every week are also good for our bodies.

“Without sticking to these simple recommendations, alcohol really can harm any of us, ruin lives and kill - it still kills people every day in Barnsley and across the country.

“Barnsley Hospital is working closely with partners across the town and district, including with the council, to implement an effective plan to make sure alcohol is used and consumed safely and people’s lives and health is not ruined by it.”

According to a survey carried out by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, commissioned by the Department of Health, 11.3 per cent of 15-year-olds in Barnsley consider themselves regular drinkers - almost double the national average of 6.2 per cent.

The number of young people who had been drunk in the four weeks prior to being surveyed was 17.2 per cent, compared to 14.6 per cent nationally.

Barnsley is also the fourth-highest in Yorkshire for admissions due to substance abuse - including opioids, cannabinoids and other sedatives and stimulants - among 15 to 24-year-olds, with 101 admissions across the three-year period.

This is a proportion of 123.9 per 100,000 - 41 per cent higher than the national average of 87.9.

Eytan Alexander, CEO of private addiction treatment firm UKAT, believes that more pressure should be put on parents across Yorkshire to have open and honest conversations with their children.

“Prevention should be the priority in tackling the rise of drink and drug misuse amongst children in order to avoid the beast which is addiction developing in later life,” said Eytan.

“It is imperative that parents living across Yorkshire address the topic of drugs and alcohol early on with their children. Be informed and be clear.

“Discuss the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on the body as well as the legal consequences associated with them. Do this for them whilst they’re young and we could start to see these numbers lowering.”