MORE and more youngsters are turning to alcohol in Bury.

And the designer drinks 'alcopops' are proving to be the most popular tipple among the borough's under-age drinkers.

A survey carried out by Greater Manchester Police Authority involved a total of 2,883 youngsters from Bury and across the region. The results of the questionnaire revealed that of those who responded 82 percent admitted to having drunk alcohol, with 38 percent claiming to drink booze at least once a week.

The home proved to be the most popular place to drink with the street coming second. Five percent of those questioned admitted to drinking alcohol in pubs and nightclubs.

Three quarters of those who had tried alcohol said favourite drinks were alcopops, including WKD and Hooch, while just under half preferred spirits.

Other findings revealed that two-thirds of the respondents admitted to having taken drugs, with 36 per cent of the "users", aged between 11 and 16 years, admitting to having been offered or bought cannabis.