Cheap supermarket deals means the plans may not be effective

“All-you-can-drink” offers are to be banned and compulsory identity checks introduced under the government’s proposals to crack down on the rising binge drinking epidemic. If the plans for England and Wales are approved, bars will also be banned from holding speed-drinking competitions. Retailers or publicans who breach this could be fined or jailed.

Alcohol abuse kills around 40,000 people in England and Wales every year, with the annual cost of drink-related crime and disorder costing the UK up to £13 billion.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said there was a “duty to act”, with the Tories saying they would give councils more power to clamp down on ‘problem’ bars and clubs.
There was also talk of using pricing measures to make alcohol less easily affordable, however Mr Johnson said that those on high incomes could continue to binge drink, ‘We don’t want to ensure that people… on good incomes can just carry on as normal, but responsible drinkers on low incomes are hit’.

However, Alcohol Concern believe that the new measures won’t stop alcohol abuse, with consumer still able to cheaply binge on alchol purchased in supermarkets. Don Shenker from Alchol Concern said, ‘It is just tinkering with the price issue rather than decisive action, we need a minimum price per unit of alcohol which will affect pubs, clubs, off-licences and supermarkets’.