Tougher action over binge drinking

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Research has shown the drinks trade is failing to adhere to its own voluntary code on providing alcohol unit information to consumers.

More than 10 years after industry and the Government agreed a way forward for clearer labelling, only 57% of products contain details of the alcohol units in a drink.

Meanwhile, just 3% of products contain all the information ministers want to see, including a warning to pregnant women to avoid alcohol.

The Government is considering banning happy hours, forcing pubs and clubs to serve drinks in smaller glasses as well as larger ones, and stopping off-licences and other retailers from displaying alcohol at checkouts.

Industry representatives reacted by saying existing laws around the sale of alcohol were not currently enforced and argued that the Government's strategy would result in higher prices for sensible drinkers.

The promise of a crackdown unless the industry improves comes after figures showed the annual cost to the NHS of drinking now tops £2.7 billion a year.

This includes more than £1 billion spent on treating people in hospital due to alcohol, £372 million on ambulance journeys and £646 million on A&E visits. The total cost has jumped around £1 billion since figures were last compiled in 2003.

Other data also showed that more than 2.6 million men and women regularly drink at least the equivalent of 20 pints of bitter a week. In England, almost 1.6 million men are considered "high risk" drinkers, downing more than 50 units of alcohol a week, and so are more than a million women, who are drinking more than 35 units a week.

Around 10 million people in England drink more than the Government's recommended limits, which are no more than two to three units a day for women and three to four for men.