BOOZE DEATHS UP42%

Experts call for alco price rise to tackle crisis

- MARTIN BAGOT

DEATHS due to problem boozing have soared by more than 40%.

The Alcohol Health Alliance has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting for action after 8,274 deaths were directly caused by booze last year.

The group fears this is the tip of the iceberg, adding fatalities in England where alcohol was a contributing factor were likely to be three times higher.

The AHA, which is calling for a minimum pricing policy on cheap supermarket booze, writes: "Deaths caused solely by alcohol have increased by a catastrophic 42% since 2019.

"After decades of inaction, we urge you to make it your New Year's resolution to redress this alarming trend and stop needless suffering of countless individuals, their children, families and communities across the country."