Experts warned that pop songs might be drowning out public health messages on alcohol.

The Liverpool John Moores University study concluded that the exposure of young people to alcohol in the media is "a major concern".

The report, published in the journal Psychology of Music, stated: " Health and other professionals should be vigilant for increases in alcohol-related lyrics and work to ensure that popular music does not become a medium for reinforcing and extending cultures of intoxication and alcohol-related harm."

The study found songs charting in 1981 contained relatively few references to alcohol, with the number declining further in 1991.

Rave culture was popular in this period; a music scene linked more to ecstasy than alcohol.

But alcohol was back in music by 2001, with 8% of popular hits referring to it.

This figure continues to climb, more than doubling by 2011, with almost one in five (18.5%) top 10 songs featuring alcohol-related lyrics.

An example was Katy Perry's 2011 single Last Friday Night.