Young people should be educated on the dangers of alcohol abuse when they attend sexual health clinics, experts have said.

With more than 1.5million young people attending the clinics every year, the NHS has been told it is missing "key opportunities" to tackle the "growing problem" of sexually transmitted diseases and hazardous drinking.

A report, published by the Alcohol and Sexual Health Working Party on Saturday, said sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) "mostly affected" young people under 25.

It also suggested alcohol and sex go hand-in-hand saying people who drink "hazardously" are "more likely to have multiple partners, thus increasing the risk of acquiring an STI".

"Surveys in sexual health services suggest that as many as one in five attendees consume hazardous levels of alcohol."

The working party was created by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) supported by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH). Chair Dr Simon Barton said although the links between alcohol use and poor sexual health have been recognised for some time, the services available "do not reflect this clear association".

"Failing to discuss alcohol consumption with a patient accessing sexual health services is a missed opportunity," he continued. "Although services that aim to tackle this problem cannot be effective in isolation, there is a real opportunity for sexual health services to support people both in identifying their behavioural risks and in empowering them to take action."

The study also notes consumption of stronger alcoholic drinks has increased, particularly among girls.

But alcohol awareness charity DrinkAware says male drinking is still a "huge issue" for men.

"Newspapers often run stories, and photos, about young women binge drinking. Many people still see male over-drinking as more socially acceptable. "

The charity adds one in five men develop a drinking problem with nearly one in 10 drinking more than 50 units a week.

The report by the alcohol and sexual health group continued to say: "Earlier alcohol use is associated with early onset of sexual activity and is a marker of later sexual risk-taking, including lack of condom use, multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted infection and teenage pregnancy."

In a sample of more than 2,000 15-to-16-year-olds from the UK, 11% regretted having sex under the influence of alcohol while some 82% of 16-to-30-year-olds also report drinking alcohol before sexual activity.

The Press Association quoted Dr Janet Wilson, president-elect of BASHH, as saying: "Everyone knows that alcohol fuels risky sex - so a sexual health check-up is the ideal time to broach the subject, to find the one in five young people attending our clinics who are at most risk and give them structured advice around alcohol consumption, referring to alcohol services where appropriate."

The report, "Alcohol and sex: a cocktail for poor sexual health", says all clinicians providing sexual health services should be trained in asking about drinking habits and should refer patients to local alcohol services if necessary.

Royal College of Nursing chief executive, Dr Peter Carter, said: "Nurses are often the first point of contact when dealing with sexual health issues.

"We would fully support sexual health services providing information on the potentially devastating effects that alcohol can have on the health of the nation.

"Robust regulation on the sale of alcohol, along with sensible minimum pricing and educational campaigns, is also desperately needed in order to meaningfully reduce the health damage caused by harmful drinking."