The Portuguese have been labelled the world's biggest drinkers, following a survey carried out by French researchers.

Each and every adult in the country consumes a staggering 11.3 litres of pure alcohol a year, according to the Paris-based National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism (ANPA).

The home of port is only just ahead of Luxembourg in the drinking stakes - the tiny country's population get through 11.2 litres of pure alcohol per person every year.

France, famed for its dedication to its home-produced wine, was in third place at 10.9 litres but the survey pointed to a halving in wine consumption across the Channel in the past 30 years.

Though alcohol-related deaths in France had fallen from 18,000 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1997, the cost of treating people for alcoholism was estimated at 65billion francs (�6.2billion) a year

The veracity of the test was, though, thrown into doubt by the claim that Russians - known for their love of vodka - only tied with New Zealanders in 19th place, with a modest 7.3 litres each a year.

Pinch of salt

The ANPA warned that the figures for Eastern Europe should be taken with a pinch of salt because "clandestine consumption is probably much greater in eastern countries" and statistical collection is less developed.

A spokeswoman for the association added: "We have decided to take Russia off the list because the figures are not believable."

The British scored a lowly 17th in the list, consuming 7.7 litres of pure alcohol each a year.

The survey had a serious message about the dangers of alcoholism, saying that 13% of patients admitted to hospitals in France suffer from the condition in some form.

The authors of the ANPA report said: "Evaluating the cost of alcoholism is very difficult, you have to take into account not only the direct cost - the costs of healthcare, accidents and the courts - but also the economic cost through absenteeism, and the social cost of effects on families and abuse of children."