THE alcohol industry's responsible drinking messages are "failing consumers" and being used to promote brands, according to a charity.

Alcohol Concern is calling for the "ambiguous" messages to be replaced with factual health warnings after studying ads published in supermarket lifestyle magazines over a six-month period.

It found that less than half of alcohol adverts and advertorials contained a "drink responsibly" message, and the messages that did appear had frequently been expanded to include the brand name or extra wording to fit the wider theme of the campaign.

One message included in an ad for Winter Jack whiskey suggested consumers "Make this a winter to remember. Drink responsibly", while another advised: "Live passionately. Drink responsibly."

The charity also raised concerns that the messages were positioned at the edges of ads and in "tiny" lettering.

It said the messages were sometimes contradicted by the overall theme of the ad, such as one for brandy that invited the reader to "join the party" next to an image of an overflowing glass.

Alcohol Concern spokesman Mark Leyshon said: "Most of us buy at least some of our alcohol from the big supermarkets, so it's perhaps not surprising to find lots of alcohol advertising within their magazines.

"What's more surprising is that over half of the adverts and advertorials reviewed didn't contain a specific drink responsibly message, other than making reference to the alcohol industry-funded Drinkaware website.

"Where 'drink responsibly' messages were included, typically these were used by alcohol companies as another way to promote their brands, instead of advising consumers about the health risks associated with alcohol.

"A more effective approach would be to replace these messages with mandatory health warnings and to implement tighter regulations on how alcohol is advertised."

A spokesman for the Portman Group, which represents alcohol producers, said: "The responsible drinking message is just one of many ways that drinks companies provide information about sensible drinking to consumers.

"The alcohol industry have voluntarily labelled 80% of products on shelf with unit content, safe drinking guidelines and over 90% with a warning about alcohol and pregnancy. Drinks companies and retailers also provide unit information in pubs, bars and shops across the country and fund Drinkaware - the leading alcohol education charity - who provide consumer information on their website and through apps.

"Alcohol producers and retailers are taking real action to encourage healthier lifestyles and foster a culture of responsible drinking."