DRIVERS as young as 14 are being caught drinking and driving in Hampshire, police records show.

In 2008, 2009, and 2011, drivers aged 14 were stopped drink-driving by Hampshire police, according to figures obtained by in-car camera provider Nextbase.

Hampshire is one of the drink-driving hotspots for under-18s in the country, with 276 offenders caught between 2008 and 2013. Of those, 74 were under 16.

The worst English region for underage drink-driving in the same period was Greater Manchester where 409 under-18s were arrested.

The youngest offender was an 11-year-old apprehended in the Thames Valley area in 2011.

Nextbase said the total number of underage drink-drive incidents had fallen year-on-year but a number of police areas had seen an increase from 2012 to 2013.

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.

“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.''

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ''Tackling drink-driving is a priority for the Government and we are taking steps to strengthen enforcement, including allowing roadside breath tests to be used as evidence in prosecutions and removing the statutory right of drivers to demand a blood or urine test at the police station which can give them time to sober up.

“We have also made it a requirement for convicted drink-drivers to take medical tests to prove they are no longer alcohol-dependent before being allowed to drive.”

Later the DFT spokesman said: ''Under-age driving is illegal and no person under the age of 17 should be driving a car. We have tough laws in place to tackle those caught driving without a licence.

“Drink-driving is a menace that costs lives, and the Government is strengthening the law to help police crack down on this problem.”