90,000 people will die over the next 10 years from drink unless cheap alcohol is banned

90,000 people will die over the next 10 years from drink unless cheap alcohol is banned, a new report has claimed. Skip related content
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The charity Alcohol Concern issued the sobering warning after its latest research found drink-related deaths have trebled in Britain over the last 25 years from 3,054 in 1984 to 8,999 in 2008.

To combat the problem, it proposes banning cheap booze by forcing suppliers to charge at least 50p per unit.

Doing so would substantially reduce hospital admissions, crime and absence from work, the report claims.

Research by the University of the West of England used by Alcohol Concern found there would be 90,800 deaths linked to drink by 2019 if current consumption continues.

The lead author, Professor Martin Plant, said: "The UK has been experiencing an epidemic of alcohol-related health and social problems that is remarkable by international standards."

The findings coincide with a new drive to reduce binge drinking in Greater Manchester, where the problem is particularly acute.

Councils in the area are actively considering a minimum price for booze sold in its pubs, clubs and supermarkets.

Police there have just begun a clampdown on licensees and bar staff who illegally serve people who are already drunk.

But although binge drinking is usually blamed on the younger generations, Alcohol Concern has revealed the steepest rise in alcohol-related deaths is among the 55 to 74-year-olds.

Peter Ivory still finds it hard to believe how close he came to being in that category.

The 62-year-old former store manager from Sunderland always thought of himself as a social drinker.

A few years ago his holiday was cut dramatically short when he was flown back from Spain with excruciating stomach pain. He collapsed and eventually had to have a liver transplant.

He said: "I suppose I should consider myself lucky that I'm still alive.

"But actually - if you lose your liver you lose your life."

Peter now struggles with simple undemanding tasks and suffers from constant fatigue, nerve pain, high blood pressure and depression.

He believes the "British epidemic" is leading thousands of young people down the same road.

"People have to listen to the stories of people like me," he said.

"We now have young people who are wrecking their lives. This is not about me telling others not to drink. It's about asking them to hear me and to plead with them not to end up like me."