Public Health England has defended its link-up with a charity funded largely by the alcohol industry.

Professor John Newton, PHE director of health improvement, said the Government agency “didn’t make a mistake” when deciding to work with Drinkaware on the Drink Free Days campaign.

He told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that there was “no public money” going to the campaign and PHE was “simply providing advice”.

Dozens of experts have written to PHE to oppose the tie-up, the BBC said.

The letter, signed by 46 people in fields ranging from illegal drugs to alcohol, is reported to say that it “will significantly damage the credibility of PHE”.

It is said to conclude that “industry-funded messages and social marketing campaigns should not be a substitute for publicly funded campaigns providing independent and evidence-based information”.

Prof Newton dismissed the claims, saying: “I can assure you that Public Health England’s independence has not been damaged one iota by this. This is about Public Health England influencing Drinkaware.

“We are very sorry that colleagues disagree with us on this topic. We hope they will reconsider.”

Earlier this week, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore and Professor John Britton, senior advisers to PHE on alcohol and tobacco, wrote a letter in The Times saying their roles had been “undermined”.

Prof Gilmore was said to have left his role, and the newspaper added that Prof Britton would follow suit unless PHE changed course.

The Drink Free Days campaign urges people to have two days off from alcohol a week.

PHE has said the partnership with Drinkaware “is a fresh and bold step in our work to reduce alcohol harm”.

It added that it is “steadfast in its ambition to reduce the harms that drinking too much alcohol can cause” and that it would “work together with any partner that speaks to the evidence and shares the same commitment”.

Prof Newton told Today: “Drinkaware is not the alcohol industry.

“Drinkaware is a registered charity. It’s funded by a number of other people, including the alcohol industry, including supermarket chains and so on, but they are a registered charity.

“If people have a problem with Drinkaware they really should be taking it to the Charity Commission, not to us.”

Sir Leigh Lewis, chairman of the Drinkaware Trust, previously said the charity did not speak for the industry, adding: “It is saddening to see that false allegations about our independence are being used to undermine serious and genuine attempts to help people moderate their drinking.”

A Drinkaware spokeswoman said: “Drinkaware is an independent charity which is not part of and does not speak on behalf of the alcohol industry.

“Since our inception 11 years ago, Drinkaware has provided evidence-led advice, information and support to millions of people concerned about alcohol and its harmful effects.

“Our website and public statements consistently promote the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines and the latest evidence and facts about alcohol and its harms.

“All of our output is overseen and verified by an independent medical advisory panel consisting of well-regarded and highly experienced health professionals.

“As well as this important campaign with Public Health England, Drinkaware works with organisations across a range of sectors from the police and Government departments to businesses in the night-time economy to promote tools, initiatives and campaigns aimed at informing the public about drinking and its harmful effects.

“Our commitment to helping people make informed choices about alcohol is unswerving and to suggest otherwise is to wholly and wilfully misrepresent the charity and its aims.”