Thousands of children are exposed to alcohol commercials during popular television shows, a campaign group warn today.

The Simpsons, Home and Away, Coronation Street and The X-Factor all carried drinks adverts during commercial breaks, Alcohol Concern says.

Advertisements for alcoholic drinks increase "dramatically" between 3pm and 5pm - the time when children are home from school, its study finds.

Alcohol Concern is calling for a 9pm watershed for alcohol advertising to reduce the number of children who see them. At present, alcohol adverts can be broadcast at any time, providing they are not shown during programmes where children make up more than 20 per cent of the viewers. But Alcohol Concern says this threshold makes it impossible for parents to predict when the commercials will be shown.

But a spokesman for the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), said: "At this time, BCAP is not considering a change to its alcohol codes, including the rules on where and when in the schedules alcohol ads may appear."

David Poley, of the Portman Group, which represents nine drinks companies, said: "The advertising rules, which were toughened two years ago, ban adverts from targeting or appealing to under-18s.

"Shielding this age group from any images of alcohol is not helping them grow up with sensible and balanced attitudes to drinking."