Death rate up for older Brit boozers

DEATH rates among 60 to 74-year-old men owing wholly to alcohol abuse have “increased significantly” since 2001, new figures show.

The rise is particularly steep among men aged between 70 and 74, where it has surged by around a half from 18.7 per 100,000 people in 2001 to 28.0 per 100,000 in 2016.

In total, 7,327 people died in the UK last year as a direct result of abusing alcohol.

This equates to a rate of 11.7 deaths per 100,000 population – “significantly higher” than the figure for 2001 (10.6 per 100,000), according to the Office for National Statistics.

The figures also show that rates among 60 to 64-year-old females have jumped by over a third (35%) in the same period.