You have to be 18 to buy alcohol in the UK, not to drink it
It is an offence to give alcohol to a child under five (unless it is given by a doctor on health grounds). :o

If you are five or over and under 16, there is no legal restriction on you drinking alcohol at home or on other private premises. :o

In England and Wales, if you are aged 14 or 15 you can go into a pub but cannot buy or drink alcohol there.
If you are aged 16 or 17, you can drink wine, beer, or cider (but not spirits) with a meal in a hotel or restaurant as long as someone over 18 is eating with you. You can also buy liqueur chocolates.
It is an offence for a person under 18 to buy alcohol or drink alcohol in a pub. It is also an offence for a person to buy alcohol on behalf of a person under 18 that is to be drunk in a bar or a pub, or in the street.
I wonder how many budding teenage pissheads are aware of point 4.
Matt
"A bit of a pickle" - British translation: A catastrophically bad situation with potentially fatal consequences.
PETA

People Eating Tasty Animals.
B1 (Cat C) licenced engineer, Boeing 737NG 600/700/800/900 Airbus A318/19/20/21 and Dash8 Q-400
1. Captain, if the problem is not entered into the technical logbook.........then the aircraft does not have a problem.
2. And, if you have time to write the fault on a napkin and attach to it to the yoke.........you have time to write it in the tech log....see point 1.