UK youngsters in controversial student pub-crawl now attack Brighton

London, Nov 4: Brighton has become the latest British city to witness hundreds of university students donning costumes of doctors and nurses as a part of the controversial student pub-crawl organised by Carnage UK.

Gangs of drunken teens flooded into bars and pubs across Brighton last night during the mass bender.

The company has come under fire for running cheap booze tours for undergraduates in 45 towns and cities across the UK.

Recently it was reported how 2,000 students swamped Leicester city centre for a typical Carnage UK night out.

And this time it was Brighton's turn of being forced to deal with a plague of drunken youngsters.

After paying 10 pounds for a T-shirt, students were given free entry to bars and clubs and encouraged to carry out saucy dares written on the shirts.

Rookie students necked shots and downed pints at a frightening pace - many drinking until they were barely able to stand.

And extra officers had to be drafted in to police the event, which attracted hundreds of revellers dressed up as doctors and nurses.

But despite the cocking scenes, students believe the evening is just good fun.

On the other hand, horrified alcohol abuse campaigners claimed that such events promote a binge-drinking culture among young people.

"It is simply irresponsible to encourage young people to drink far more than the recommended daily limits on a night out," The Sun quoted Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, as saying.

A spokesman of Varsity Leisure Group (VLG) Ltd, which runs the Carnage UK events, defended the events, saying: "VLG wants the students to be safe and for the local economy to have the benefit of a boost to its late night trade, at a time of recession, without any trouble. Varsity Leisure Group does not promote binge drinking."

"VLG's aim is to give students the opportunity to have a fun night out with other students from differing ethnic and social backgrounds," added the spokesman.

--ANI