Experts today warned under-age binge-drinking in Sussex was a "ticking time bomb" which would lead to an explosion in the number of teenage deaths.

The warning came as ministers revealed last night the number of teenagers requiring treatment for drink-related illnesses in Sussex during the last two years was among the highest in Britain. Only three other health authority areas have higher rates of under-age drinking than Sussex and Surrey, according to the Department for Health.

Andy Winter, chief executive of the Brighton Housing Trust, said: "What concerns me is that more young people are drinking more alcohol from a young age and it's already the norm for young people to get drunk. It is extremely worrying and if we do not address it immediately we will have an epidemic on our hands. It probably has already reached that stage."

Mr Winter said his organisation, which has been told by the Government it can no longer help young alcoholics, used to see teenagers regularly who had been drinking for more than ten years.

In 2004 and 2005 Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority handled 271 cases of alcohol related illness among people aged under 18.

Experts have warned there are likely to be many more "hundreds" of young people who need help.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: "There are far more young people in Sussex who need help because of alcohol.

That figure really is only the tip of a very large iceberg and includes only the teenagers who have looked for help from the NHS."

It said it had helped drinkers aged as young as eight and the rate of death among young drinkers would soar.

Shaheed Saleem, a Department of Health expert on alcoholism, said: "The effect of alcohol on a young body is twice, maybe three times what it would be on an older one.

"The liver is not as developed and in some cases neither is the brain. Drinking from an early age causes death, there is no doubt about it."

Some 2,323 adults suffered alcohol-related illness in 2004 and 2005 in Sussex but this is near the national average.

Drug and drink help group Addaction has blamed the popularity of alcopops but said a lack of facilities for young people could contribute.

A spokesman said: "One reason why teenagers go out and drink is because they often feel as though they have nothing else to do. There may well be lots of things to do in Sussex but it is likely a lot of young drinkers feel as though there is nothing and feel alienated from families or communities."

Sussex Ambulance Service said it dealt with a high number of calls to help under-age drinkers including many who have fallen unconscious.

Spokesman Trevor Roman said: "Of course it is a major problem in Sussex. It is difficult to quantify in some circumstances.

But we deal with a lot of young people who have got drunk."

The ambulance service is about to launch the Don't Walk Away and Let a Friend Die campaign in the county combating under-age drinking and encouraging teenagers to speak up if a friend falls ill because of alcohol as it believes many young people get drunk and are then scared to report friends becoming sick because they think the police will punish them.