A survey of young people in the city has revealed a worrying number are binge drinking.

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust spoke to 159 people aged between 16 and 24 before and after a campaign to raise awareness of the hazards of too much alcohol.

The campaign, which ran in December, included an innovative text service where people were sent messages at specific times on various evenings warning them to check they were safe and not vulnerable to attack.

The survey was conducted to gauge young people's attitudes to binge drinking and establish the effectiveness of the campaign.

The pre-campaign findings showed young people were drinking frequently and consuming large quantities.

Twenty-four per cent had alcohol four or more times a week and 60 per cent admitted having at least five alcoholic drinks on a typical day.

Of that 60 per cent, almost half were having seven drinks or more.

Thirty-eight per cent of respondents admitted to not being able to stop once they had started drinking.

Despite the fact 36 per cent admitted binge drinking had prevented them from doing something that was expected of them, like going to work or college, only ten per cent had been told to cut down or get help.

After the campaign, almost 58 per cent of those questioned admitted drinking too much but said they would now think more carefully about how much they drank.

However around 20 per cent said the campaign had made no difference and they would continue to binge drink.

A spokeswoman for the PCT said: "The study confirms the information we have about the number of young people who binge drink.

"We were very pleased to see such a high number of people wanting to think more carefully about the level of alcohol they consume, which is the first step to changing behaviour.

"We are working hard locally to reduce the level of binge drinking, through the implementation of a multi-agency alcohol strategy, which is a collaboration between the PCT, Local Authority and the Police.

"The report is very encouraging and we are pleased with the results, so it is likely that we will continue with a similar approach in the future."

Work is also being done to target younger drinkers.

The PCT's annual public health report shows that ten per cent of 14 and 15-year-old boys in the city and five per cent of girls, drank more than 14 units of alcohol in a week.

Binge drinking is also linked to antisocial behaviour, crime and accidents, especially in the city centre at night.

South East Coast Ambulance Service said in the report that between 2003 and 2004, a quarter of alcohol-related incidents in Brighton and Hove involved someone under 18.

Analysis of data from the ru-ok? (crct) under 19s substance misuse services found that 87 young people came in for treatment in 2005/6 and more than a quarter identified alcohol as their main problem.

Is enough being done to warn young people of the dangers of binge drinking? What more could be done? Have your say below.