Anger as pub chain sells a week’s drink for just £15
HEALTH campaigners have accused pub giant JD Wetherspoon of fuelling Britain’s alcohol problem with a series of cut-price Christmas drink offers.
Customers at the chain’s 900 pubs are being offered “two for £5” specials on a raft of spirits, alcopops, beer and cider.
Meanwhile the UK death toll from alcohol abuse is rising and the number of Britons dying from liver disease has soared by 400 per cent since the 1970s.
The Sunday Express found the offers from JD Wetherspoon, run by founder and chairman Tim Martin, mean that for just £15, drinkers can hit their entire 14-unit weekly safe alcohol allowance.
“Bomb and shot” specials including two measures of Smirnoff vodka, Fireball Cinnamon whiskey or Cuervo tequila come with an optional half-can Monster Energy drink for £5.
Similarly, two shots of “Strikabomb” herbal liquor mixed with Monster Energy can be bought for just £4.80.
Popular cocktail deals include any two pitchers of Porn Star Martini, Sex On The Beach, Long Island Iced Tea and Classic Pimm’s, for £12.
Strong craft beers, ciders and alcopops such as Desperados, Peroni, Lagunitas IPA, Brewdog Elvis Juice, Kopparberg and Smirnoff Ice are also in the two-for-£5 offer.
The Sunday Express findings come weeks after it was revealed alcoholrelated deaths approach levels last seen in the 2008 recession.
Just two weeks ago we told how Britain’s craft beer revolution had led to middle-class ale fans downing tipples more associated with street drinkers and thrill-seeking teenagers.
Andrew Misell of Alcohol Change UK said of the Wetherspoons offers: “How much people drink is affected by price.
“These deals are, unsurprisingly, aimed at encouraging us to drink more, and to order several drinks at a time. This pulls us into having several drinks on the go or drinking in rounds.” Vanessa Hebditch of the British Liver Trust said: “Drinking this amount of alcohol in one evening is seriously putting your liver at risk.”
But Wetherspoons spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We have always tried to be as competitively priced as possible and as a result, some drinks in our pubs will be priced lower than many other pubs.
“Our staff serve customers responsibly and it is up to customers to know their limit and drink responsibly, too.”
John Timothy, head of alcohol trade body Portman Group, said: “The industry spends tens of millions promoting social responsibility and supporting initiatives that tackle alcohol harm. In 2017 over 80 per cent of adults in Great Britain didn’t report binge drinking.”
If you are concerned about your drinking visit: drinkaware.co.uk