Alcohol related deaths in the UK jumped a third during the pandemic, new figures reveal.
Merseyside was one of the worst affected areas in the country, data from the ONS shows.
Between 2019 and 2022 there was a 33% jump in deaths in the UK from alcohol specific causes. In 2022 alcohol killed a record number of people.
With almost 2500 more people having died from drinking than in 2019. Figures suggest that the pandemic caused heavy drinkers to increase their intake of alcohol
People in England bought 12.6 million extra litres of alcohol from off-licenses in 2020 to 2021 compared with 2019 to 2020 , according to research conducted by Public Health England.
The UK placed no additional restrictions on alcohol during the pandemic, though other countries such as South Africa and Thailand curbed alcohol sales to discourage socialising that could spread the virus.
Alcohol Health Alliance UK chair Professor Sir Ian Gilmore said: “Alcohol is cheaper, more available, and more heavily marketed today than ever before. As the death toll reaches record levels, so do the profits of the multibillion-pound drinks industry”.
