TWENTY per cent of 15 to 16 year-old pupils in the Borders have reported getting drunk at least once in an average month, new statistics reveal.

An alcohol profile for the Borders 2021-23 also states that 26 per cent of S4 pupils reported that their parents or carers had bought them alcohol.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s licensing board, Susan Elliot, alcohol and drugs partnership co-ordinator for the Borders, said: “We know that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest option for our young people because of the impact of alcohol on their bodies.

“We have the health and well-being surveys carried out in schools now and the most recent data shows that 20 per cent of S4 pupils had reported being drunk once or more in a month.

“I was in a supermarket in Galashiels most recently at the cash desk and the cashier was telling me about the challenges they face sometimes where the public can be quite abusive to them, particularly when they challenge adults around buying alcohol when it is clear that it is actually for the child or young person with them.

“So it was really positive that they are challenging that and that they will refuse sales.”

On-sales is relatively stable with 343 licensed premises in the Borders but there has been a 10 per cent rise in off-sales, with 85 per cent of all alcohol now sold over the counter.

Occasional licences have also increased over time and were at their highest level – 1,455 – between August 2021 and August 2022.

Peebles, Galashiels, Hawick, Kelso and Selkirk are the areas most frequently impacted by ‘public space violence’ where alcohol is a contributing factor.

The Galashiels North rate of alcohol-related hospital admission is 895, compared with a Scottish average of 610.

In 2022 there were 21 alcohol-specific deaths in Borders, the same number as in the previous year.

However, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths in the region is still below the Scottish average at 11.8 per cent compared to 21.1 per cent nationally.

The report also finds that 24 per cent of adults locally are drinking above the recommended limit of 14 units per week.