MORE than 700 underage drink-drivers have been stopped by police in Scotland over the past six years - including a child aged 12.

Police figures show 49 children north of the Border were found intoxicated behind the wheel between 2008 and 2013, with a further 159 16-year-olds and 510 17-year-olds also caught.

Boys and young men were the worst offenders, accounting for 89 per cent (642) of such offences.

Philip Goose, of road safety charity Brake, said "These are appalling statistics. Driving is the most dangerous thing any of us do on a daily basis, and to see people under the age of 16 are driving illegally, while drunk, is shocking.

"Drink-driving is an incredibly dangerous activity no matter who you are, whether you are under 16 or over 61.

"Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving dramatically increases your risk of crashing and killing or seriously injuring yourself or others."

UK-wide figures show there were about 6,000 underage drink-drivers caught in total over the six years - an average of 1,000 a year and five per week.

The data, compiled from Freedom of Information requests, shows of the 43 UK police forces that responded, all had apprehended under-18 drink-drivers.

Aside from Scotland, other areas with a large number of offenders included Greater Manchester, where 409 under-18s were caught, as well as Hampshire (276 offenders), Devon and Cornwall (241) and Sussex (160).

The youngest offender was an 11-year-old from the Thames Valley area who was apprehended in 2011, while the Scottish 12-year-old who was stopped was caught a year later.

In-car camera provider Nextbase, which compiled the figures, said the total number of underage drink-driver incidents had fallen year-on-year, but a number of police areas had seen an increase in 2013.

These included South Yorkshire, where a number of 14, 15 and 16-year-olds were caught in 2013, Northumbria, Thames Valley, Kent, North Yorkshire, West Mercia, Staffordshire, South Wales, Cheshire and Cambridgeshire.

Merseyside, Devon and Cornwall saw the greatest drops between 2012 and 2013.

A Freedom of Information spokesman from one of the police forces said drink-driving convictions in under-18s are often accompanied by a number of other offences, including unlawful possession of a vehicle, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and illegally buying alcohol.