Scots heading south for a better deal on booze

SIR – Alan Cochrane (Comment, June 8) suggests that alcohol consumption in Scotland has not dropped following the introduction of minimum pricing.

This raised a smile among us residents of Berwick-upon-tweed. We witness on a daily basis estate cars and vans crossing the border to purchase cases of alcohol in English supermarkets, returning laden and low-slung to Scotland. The same must be happening all along the border.

A local bus company even runs a regular “booze cruise” service between Berwick and border towns.

In the event of Scotland’s independence, Berwick could become a haven for smugglers criss-crossing the border with any goods liable for tax, creating new employment opportunities for excise men and border guards.

Canon Alan Hughes Berwick-upon-tweed, Northumberland