A glass of their own

Young British women are the biggest female boozers in Europe, a new report revealed yesterday.

Those aged 18 to 24 are knocking back 357 pints of alcohol a year - equivalent to more than five bottles of wine a week.

They get through more than three times as much as their Italian counterparts, who drink 104 pints a year, or one glass a day.

While young women in the Netherlands sink 188 pints and German girls drink 333 pints annually, the British are drinking their European neighbours under the table, said market analyst Datamonitor.

They already drink well in excess of the medically recommended 14 units a week - or two glasses of wine each day.

But their consumption is set to increase by 20 per cent to 426 pints a year by 2007, according to Datamonitor analyst Andrew Russell.

He attributed the rise in women's drinkingto their growing independence, which advertisers have been quick to cash in on.

'I think it's mainly to do with a change in lifestyle. It's basically to do with the whole equality movement,' he said.

'There's a whole generation of teenagers that have been told you can do whatever the boys do and that applies to drinking, too.'

Traditional beer-focussed pubs in Britain and Germany have given way to bars such as All Bar One or Mediterraneanstyle cafès offering 'a more comfortable, open, well-lit and friendly environment'.

Pubs and bars have stocked up on wine and drinks such as Bacardi Breezers to meet the more refined tastes of female drinkers, said Mr Russell.

'Wine, in particular, is popular with young women as it is perceived as being low in calories and sophisticated,' he added.