Britain calls time on pub binge-drinking promotions

A BAN on promotions that encourage heavy drinking in pubs will come into force in England and Wales from April, but nothing will be done to curb cheap sales of alcohol by supermarkets.

Under the changes, announced by home secretary Alan Johnson yesterday, pubs will be prevented from offering “drink all you can for a tenner”, or so-called “dentist’s chair” promotions – where drink is poured into the mouth of customers.

However, the British government will not go ahead with plans – backed by health secretary Andy Burnham – to impose a minimum price on every unit of alcohol, which would have increased the price of cheaper brands.

Neither will local authorities get powers that some of them sought to curb alcohol-fuelled disorder in many town and city centres or to ban “happy-hour” promotions.

The restriction on promotions will come into force in April. Publicans will also be required to provide free tap water, while other measures, such as the availability of smaller measures and mandatory ID checks, will become law in October.

Alcohol consumption rose sharply in the UK from the second World War up until 2004, although it dropped by 5 per cent in 2005 and 2006, except in Scotland where levels remained static.

One in 12 men drinks 25 pints of beer or the equivalent in spirits or wine a week – almost 2½ times the recommended safe level, while one in 20 women exceeds the safety margin by the same amount, drinking almost 18 pints or the equivalent.

Over-drinking was blamed directly for 6,570 deaths in England and Wales in 2005, while deaths from cirrhosis of the liver have jumped four-fold among men and three times among women aged between 45 and 54 in the last 30 years.

The home secretary refused to back Conservative Party demands for extra taxes on drinks such as alcopops, which are targeted at younger drinkers, or to row back on 24-hour licensing laws introduced by the Labour Party.

On alcopops, Mr Johnson said: “I don’t think that works. If you do it that way, there is an issue about youngsters drinking certain drinks and then you raise the price on that, they will go to other drinks.”

One lobby group, Alcohol Concern, said Mr Johnson’s measures were “better than nothing”.

Its spokeswoman Carys Davis said that while the curbs “seem tame”, the ban on promotions and drinking contests would help to reduce binge drinking.

The pub trade, however, is not happy, with the Beer and Pub Association saying the government had targeted them while doing nothing to stem sales of drink by supermarkets.