The British government has sparked fury with new its new alcohol guidelines.

The new guidance published by the UK's chief medical officers cuts the maximum recommended number of units men can consume in a week from 21 down to 14 - just over five pints of 4.8% lager or four large glasses of 14% wine - bringing them in line with women.

The strict new guidelines will become one of the world's most stringent limits. Men have always had a higher recommended limit than women as it was thought they had a higher tolerance. However, medical experts have now warned that more than 14 units each week could damage the health of everyone no matter what sex they are.

Joanna Simons, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "These evidence-based guidelines were put together based on recommendations from a group of independent doctors, after looking at 20 years' worth of evidence. They represent the maximum amount we can drink each week with little risk to our health.

"Alcohol is linked to over 60 medical conditions including cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, and regularly drinking over the recommended limits can increase the risk of developing alcohol-related illnesses.

"We know that nine out of 10 people don't know about the link between drinking and cancer and so we are calling for mandatory health warnings on alcohol products, as is standard practice in other countries."

The guidance also suggests drinkers should have several booze-free days a week to reduce their intake and recommends that the "safest approach" for pregnant women is not to drink alcohol at all.

The guidelines, first proposed in January, were welcomed by health campaigners but the Government was urged to go further and introduce mandatory labelling for alcohol - similar to the warnings applied to tobacco.