A new study has found that youngsters can get drunk on cheap alcohol for just half the price of a bar of chocolate.
The research, by the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative, found that strong cider is available in supermarkets and off-licenses for just 10p a unit – half the price of a standard chocolate bar – while lager is being sold at around 26p per pint.
Health groups have now called for the government to take action on the “plague” of illness caused by cheap alcohol.
Three-litre bottles of strong cider was on sale of £2.25, while unbranded lager was priced at 92p for a 1.76 litre bottle. The bottle of cider contained more than the weekly recommend alcohol intake for a man.
Deborah Evans, Chairwoman of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative, said there has been little or no change to cheap alcohol prices over the past 12 months. She added: “As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.”
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