Harm caused by alcohol abuse costs £27bn a year

The harm caused by alcohol costs £27.4bn a year in England, according to estimates. The charity the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) said its data shows there has been more than a 40 per cent increase in the cost of harm since 2003.

- JANE KIRBY

Furthermore, the tax revenue from alcohol raises around £12.5bn each year, "meaning it is dwarfed by the financial cost of harm", it said. The cost of alcohol harm to the NHS is £4.9bn, which the IAS said is enough to pay for the salaries of almost half the nurses in England.

Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the IAS, said: "Year after year, we have seen steady increases in alcohol consumption, and deaths are at a record high. Now we have data to show that the financial cost of harm has risen too.

"As a country we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing. The government should develop a comprehensive alcohol strategy to tackle this rising harm, which would have a knock-on effect of reducing the financial burden too."