A DISMAL picture was painted today of drinking in Britain, with claims that the number of alcohol-related deaths has tripled in the past 25 years and minimum prices per unit should be enforced.
In some cities, alcohol can be bought for as little as nine pence per unit, a study found, with three litres of cider costing around £1.20.
The research by the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative (CCHIC) suggested that someone could render themselves unfit to drive for the price of a second-class stamp.
CCHIC chairwoman Deborah Evans said: “The price at which alcohol can be bought in and around our inner cities today is nothing short of horrifying. As well as finding three litres of cider in big name supermarkets for just £1.18 and £1.26 – which is equivalent to 9p and 10p a unit respectively – we also found super-strength cider at 7.5% available for £1.59 – which is 10.6p a unit – and £1.79, or 12p a unit.
“Even leaving aside the consequences this type of cheap alcohol has on crime and disorder in our big cities, the effects that this type of drink has on our health doesn’t bear thinking about.”
CCHIC group is a network of health trusts which cover England’s largest eight cities outside London – Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The British Liver Trust said alcohol related deaths had tripled in the past 25 years and called for minimum alcohol prices to be enforced. Chief executive Alison Rogers said: “There are a wide range of long-term measures that need to be put in place to stop people needlessly dying from alcohol misuse. Yet, there are some very simple steps and quick wins that would dramatically reduce levels of alcohol consumption. The evidence shows that the introduction of a minimum price per unit would address the levels of consumption, particularly in chronic drinkers and young people. And it would cost the average drinker less than 11p per week – a whole lot cheaper than paying the NHS and policing bills.”
The Trust wants supermarkets to stop offering heavily discounted alcoholic drinks, and says that including a bottle of wine in a £10 “credit crunch” meal deal “gives the message that sharing a bottle of wine is just an everyday meal”.
Louise Rhymes, whose daughter, Stacey, died last year at the age of 24 from alcoholic liver disease, said: “So much more needs to be done to educate and prevent young people drinking to excess.”
