The Serbian parliament has banned alcohol after media reports of excessive drinking, a top official said Friday.

"The ban applies to every one without exception, from bringing in alcohol, to serving or consuming it," Veljko Odalovic, the parliament's secretary general, told the Tanjug news agency.

"Both restaurants in the parliament will no longer serve alcohol, it is absolutely forbidden," he added.

The new rules included a ban on anyone who is drunk from entering the parliament.

Some health officials here estimate that one in six people in Serbia have a drinking problem.