It may be surprising but apparently the research has been done and it is official. People aged between 45 and 65 have double the probability of drinking alcohol on a daily basis than younger people aged 20 to early 40s, according to the Office of National Statistics.

The figures suggest that middle-aged people have not cut down their drinking as have younger people and also tend to ignore official health warnings.It is even worse for pensioners though as some have actually increased their alcohol intake.

The evidence suggests that over 65s drink as often as students but not quite so much.

The danger is that we are so traditionally concerned about binge drinking among the young that there is a lack of awareness of excessive alcohol intake among middle-aged and retired people. In interviews 10 per cent of respondents, half of whom were over 45, stated they had enjoyed a daily drink in the past week.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health commented that while the incidence of binge drinking is reducing among adults, nevertheless there is cause for concern and more should be done to raise awareness of methods of prevention, and not just treatment of alcohol dependency.