It’s long been known that a penchant for alcohol may be in the genes, and British scientists say they may now be a step closer to understanding why.

They have found that a faulty gene may cause binge drinking – and that mice with the mutation overwhelmingly prefer the taste of alcohol to water.

In fact, those with the faulty gene relied on alcohol to provide them with almost 85 per cent of their daily fluid intake.

Now the researchers are anxious to find out whether the same phenomenon applies in humans, as it would help develop new treatments for chronic alcohol abuse.

The gene was identified by introducing subtle changes into the DNA of the mice and looking for any that altered their preference for alcohol.