Alcohol Concern has urged for banning alcohol advertisement during pre-watershed hours, so as not to allure a number of children towards alcohol.

“If drinks companies are serious about protecting children they would sign up to ensure their adverts are restricted to adults only - a watershed ban would be a first step”, said Don Shenker, Chief Executive, Alcohol Concern.

The call has been backed by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance UK. As for now, the alcohol adverts are banned during shows, which are watched by majority of audience with age under 16. Many children are accustomed to see adult programmes, so alcohol adverts during that time could affect their likelihood to drinking, which has been confirmed by many studies also.

But, Jeremy beadles, Chief Executive, The Wine and Spirit Trade Association condemned the notion that the advertising of alcoholic drinks fascinates children under-18 to take high levels of alcohol. He expressed that the aim to reduce drinking among under 18 can be attained through long-term education and stringent implementation.

The idea of banning alcohol during adult programming hours has also not been liked by David Poley, Chief Executive of The Portman Group, who believes that in the presence of a strict regulatory system for marketing alcohol in the UK, there is no need to implement fresh rules unless proportion of under-18s in the audience increases to a specific level.