Thirty percent of North East adults drinking harmful levels of booze

A higher tax on cheap cider could save lives across the North East.

New figures from Public Health England paint a bleak picture for the North East as almost one in three adults in the region are drinking at harmful levels – the highest figure for any English region.

The figures show over 30% of adults – 636,000 people – in the North East are drinking above the recommended drinking guidelines of 14 units a week for both men and women. This is compared to around one in four (25.7%) in the rest of the country.

The data shows that enough alcohol is being sold for every drinker in the North East to be consuming 21.7 units every week – more than seven units above the Chief Medical Officers’ recommended guidelines.

The shocking figures came just a day before the Chancellor’s Spring Budget, with health campaigners calling for a tax increase on high-strength white cider, which will help tackle some of the most serious alcohol-related harms. 

Colin Shevills, Director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, commented on the figures:

“It’s very worrying that the North East is drinking at significantly higher levels than the rest of the country. Alcohol is linked to around 200 medical conditions, including cancer, heart disease and stroke.

“Drinking at these levels comes at a cost which can be seen by the fact that, despite recent improvements, we continue to have the highest rates of alcohol related hospital admissions in the country. 

“There’s no other region in the country putting as much effort into tackling alcohol-related harms than the North East, but the task ahead of us is huge. We urgently need the Government to support us in taking steps to make alcohol less affordable, available and widely promoted.

“In the Budget, the Government has a perfect opportunity to start to redress the balance by increasing duty on the most harmful alcohol products, notably strong, cheap white cider, which is so often the drink of choice for some of the most vulnerable members of society, including young people and dependent drinkers.

“The Government is being subjected to intense lobbying by sections of the alcohol industry calling for cuts in alcohol duty, putting their own profits above the nation’s health. The Government must resist that pressure and fulfil its responsibility to protect vulnerable members of society.”

A Cramlington mum has been petitioning the government ahead of the budget, after her daughter’s death.

Joanne Good’s daughter Megan died after drinking 1.5 litres of cheap white cider, now her mum wants to make sure it can’t happen to other young people;

“There’s no words in the English language to explain what it’s like, horrific doesn’t even come close, you know on a daily basis I struggle with Megan leaving to go to that party and I just want others to be aware of it.

“It’s been three years now and I’ve been trying to pluck up the courage and build up my strength to do this really and it’s almost like it’s been sent, and she’s been helping us.”