Thousands of children across the eastern region are admitted to hospital for drink and drug abuse, as warnings come from experts there is a “frightening” rise in young addicts checking into rehab..

In Cambridge there were 152 young people admitted to hospital for alcohol related abuse.

There were 183 admitted for substance misuse admissions.

In Peterborough there were 34 young people admitted for alcohol abuse and 85 for substance misuse.

Public Health England has revealed in its 2019 Child Health report that shows more than 4,000 young people living in the eastern region were admitted to hospitals for drink and drug abuse, the second highest regional rate reported.

The children admitted to hospital because of alcohol abuse were all under the age of 18, whilst those admitted for substance misuse were aged 15-24.

The news comes at a time when leading private addiction treatment firm UKAT has announced a staggering 185 per cent rise in the number of young addicts checking into rehab in the last three years.

Eytan Alexander, chief executive of UKAT, said more pressure should be put on parents to have open and honest conversations with their children.

He said: “Prevention should be the priority in tackling the rise of drink and drug misuse amongst children in order to avoid the beast which is addiction developing in later life.

“It is imperative that parents living across the South East address the topic of drugs and alcohol early on with their children.

“Be informed and be clear. Discuss the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on the body as well as the legal consequences associated with them.

“Do this for them whilst they’re young and we could start to see these numbers lowering.”

In 2015, UKAT treated 93 patients aged 21 or under for substance based addictions, jumping dramatically to 266 in 2018.

The report also reveals a link between alcohol-attributable hospital admissions in both males and females with teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections as well as a link between young people who use recreational drugs with suicide, depression and disruptive behaviour disorders.