Alcohol harm 'on the rise' from rapid delivery services taking cheap drink to front doors in South Yorkshire
The accessibility of cheap booze in England is thought to be costing the NHS up to £5 billion a year
Last updated 12 hours ago
Rapid delivery services carting cheap drink to people’s front doors are “fuelling” alcohol harm, experts have warned.
A group of MPs, health leaders and charities have said that “very strong, very cheap” alcohol is “available everywhere”.
One way to tackle the wide availability of cheap and strong alcohol could be the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) in England, they said.
Minimum pricing sets a baseline price at which a unit of alcohol – such as beer, wine and vodka – can be sold.
In a letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, 55 experts said that the evidence from Scotland and Wales, where MUP has already been introduced, is “clear and compelling” as it called for England to adopt the policy.
“Very strong, very cheap alcohol is available everywhere in this country, from our supermarkets to our corner shops and increasingly via online rapid delivery services,” according to the letter, which has been shared with the Press Association.
“This creates the ideal conditions for escalating alcohol harm, harm which can be reduced through minimum unit pricing.”
The letter from MP Cat Smith and the Alcohol Health Alliance has been signed by dozens of MPs and other health leaders including officials from the Royal College of Physicians, Alcohol Change UK and Cancer Research UK.
They said the policy targets the cheapest drinks linked to greatest harm.
It reduces health inequalities “while delivering measurable health gains – including saving lives”, the authors added.
The policy was introduced in Wales in 2020, with the authors highlighting how this led to the “removal of cheap, high strength products associated with the highest levels of harm from the market”.
In Scotland, where MUP was introduced in 2018, officials have said recently that they are open to the prospect of further increasing the minimum unit price on alcohol.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said that England “is in danger of becoming the UK’s alcohol harm outlier” as alcohol deaths in England continue to rise.
The letter highlights how alcohol deaths in England increased by a “staggering” 42% between 2019 and 2023 and have not returned to pre-pandemic levels since.
The authors said that alcohol harm is estimated to cost £27.4 billion a year, with £4.9 billion of this “shouldered by the NHS”.
Ms Smith MP, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, said: “Cheap, high-strength alcohol is not a bargain when the cost is paid in lives lost, families torn apart and growing pressure on our NHS.
“The human and economic costs are now far too high to ignore.
“The question for this Government is no longer whether we should act, but why we are still waiting.”
Sir Ian said: “England is in danger of becoming the UK’s alcohol harm outlier.
“While other nations have introduced Minimum Unit Pricing and seen positive results, alcohol-specific deaths here continue to rise.
“Cheap, high-strength alcohol is readily available almost everywhere you look.
“From our supermarket shelves to increasingly popular online rapid delivery platforms, fuelling growing levels of alcohol-related harm.
“MUP is a proven policy that targets the cheapest drinks linked to the greatest harm, protects health, and eases pressure on public services.
“This coalition reflects the growing consensus across Parliament, the medical community and public health organisations that the time for action is now.”
Stuart Green helps people battling addictions in Sheffield at the Montrose Health Group - He says it's a 'double-edged sword':
"It prevents people potentially drink driving - which is great - if they previously would've gone out to collect alcohol.
"However, it makes it so accessible to the point where it's very easy to have alcohol delivered to your house.
"When we look at alcohol, there is no such thing as harmless drinking; all alcohol is harm.
"By widening the hours of where we can buy alcohol, it's just created a hidden pandemic of liver problems, social problems, and potential issues around domestic violence."
A government spokesperson said:
“We understand the concerns relating to rapid online alcohol delivery, which may lead to increased alcohol harm, and drinking issues going unseen.
“The government is looking at how licensing rules apply to rapid alcohol delivery services and is working with experts to ensure safeguards are effective.”