CHILDREN as young as 11 are being caught drink-driving with Sussex branded as a hot spot for the crime.

An average of 1,000 youngsters aged under 18 were convicted in the UK each year between 2008 and 2013. 160 of these were in Sussex, 46 of which were children under the age of 16.

The youngest person convicted in the county was a 14-year-old in 2009 and two 15-year-old boys were caught last year.

Lucinda Dore, a drink driving solicitor at Hove-based law firm Crosby and Woods, was surprised Sussex was seen as a hot spot.

She said: “I have noticed an increase in instructions from those accused of underage drink-driving offences, or their parents, who do not realise a conviction leads to disqualification from driving or the impact this can have on future driving license applications.”

She said police are often familiar with known young offenders which could lead to higher detection rates.

Miss Dore said young people can feel under pressure by friends to drive home and their judgement is clouded by alcohol.

She added: “Most will regret driving under the influence the following morning and seek assistance to mitigate their actions.”

The statistics were released after Freedom of Information requests to every police force by the in-car camera provider Nextbase. They show five underage drink-drivers were caught each week in the UK.

An 11-year-old offender was caught by Thames Valley Police in 2011 while numerous 12-year-olds were stopped in Scotland and Manchester.

Nextbase spokesman Bryn Brooker said: “Uninsured drivers on UK roads pose a huge threat to the safety of the vast majority of responsible motorists and pedestrians.”

Police, emergency services and councils joined forces to launch Operation Crackdown to tackle drivers’ anti-social behaviour.

It urges people to report crimes include underage drivers and drink driving.

Visit operationcrackdown.org