Children as young as 11 and 12 are being caught drinking and driving in Manchester, police have revealed.
Shocking stats show 409 under-18s were arrested by Greater Manchester Police for getting behind the wheel under the influence from 2008-2013.
Forces around the country have collared an average of five underage drink-drivers each week since 2008.
Bryn Brooker, from stats compilers Nextbase, said: “Uninsured drivers on UK roads pose a huge threat to the safety of the vast majority of responsible motorists and pedestrians.
“These threats come in many forms and today’s findings go to show that it’s not just those who illegally choose not to buy insurance.
“Motorists have to be aware of such threats and take appropriate measures to mitigate the risk.”
The results were based on responses from 43 police forces following Freedom of Information Act requests.
And other hotspots included Scotland, with 718 drink-drive offenders from 2008 to 2013, Hampshire (276 offenders), Devon and Cornwall (241) and Sussex (160).
The figures, obtained by in-car camera provider Nextbase, showed one of the 43 forces had apprehended under-18 drink-drivers during the six years.
Although the data shows teens are falling foul of the law, the total number of underage drunk-driver incidents had fallen year-on-year, but a number of police areas had seen an increase from 2012 to 2013.
Drink-drive hotspots included South Yorkshire, where a number of 14, 15 and 16-year-olds were caught last year, as well as Northumbria, North Yorkshire and Cheshire.
Merseyside, Devon and Cornwall saw the greatest fall in offending individuals between 2012 and 2013.
A spokesman from one of the police force’s Freedom of Information offices said the nature of drink-driving convictions in under-18s is such that they will often be found in conjunction with other convictions.
The cluster of offences committed by underage drink-drivers may include unlawful possession of a vehicle, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and illegal purchase of alcohol, as well as driving in excess of the legal limit.
Image courtesy of Robert S Donovan with thanks
