EXPERTS will meet today to discuss the North-East's reputation as the country's worst binge-drink area.

The campaign group Alcohol Concern has arranged the seminar in Durham and has invited police, medical experts, academics and representatives of the drinks industry.

It follows figures suggesting the region has the most binge drinkers, with 29 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women regularly downing double the recommended units of alcohol.

Other items on the agenda are cutting crime and disorder, social exclusion and ill-health caused by alcohol misuse.

Alcohol Concern's chief executive, Eric Appleby, a speaker at the County Hotel seminar, said binge drinking would only be tackled if there was a commitment to address the problem.

He said: "It is absolutely vital to forge effective partnerships between a range of local bodies, everyone from councils, health and education authorities to the drinks trade, if we are to get to grips with the region's significant drink problems.

"The seminar will highlight the good work taking place in the region and elsewhere so that this best practice can be shared among everyone with an interest in tackling alcohol misuse."

Statistics issued by Alcohol Concern show that men in the region drink an average of 20.8 units of alcohol a week, and women drink 9.4 units. In London, men average 14.4 units and women 5.5 units a week.