Raise alcohol prices

SIR – Each day 65 people die from alcohol-related causes in the United Kingdom. Hospital admissions linked to alcohol have doubled in 10 years. Almost half of all violent crime is associated with our favourite drug. And over one in three child deaths and serious injuries due to neglect are linked to parental drinking.

Cheap alcohol is at the root of the problem. The real price of alcohol compared to other goods has fallen dramatically over the past 30 years and this has been most pronounced in shops and supermarkets. It is now possible to buy three litres of white cider containing the equivalent of 22 shots of vodka for around £3.50.

The Scottish government recognised the problem and today introduces a minimum unit price for alcohol which significantly increases the price of the very cheapest products consumed by very heavy drinkers and children. Pub prices will be virtually untouched and moderate drinkers will barely notice the difference. More important, a minimum unit price will save lives, cut crime, save money and ease the pressure of Scotland’s public services.

Meanwhile, alcohol will continue to be sold at pocket-money prices south of the border. We urge the Westminster Government to introduce a minimum unit price in England now. A minimum unit price would save an estimated 1,148 lives and prevent 74,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions in England in the first five years alone.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance UK Katherine Brown Chief Executive, Institute for Alcohol Studies Professor Dame Parveen Kumar Chair, BMA board of science Professor Colin Drummond Chair, Addictions Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists and 40 others; see telegraph.co.uk