Doctors' warning on licensing laws amid alcohol 'epidemic'

BRITAIN is suffering from an "epidemic" of alcohol-related problems and should think twice about relaxing licensing restrictions, the Royal College of Physicians warned yesterday.

A report by the college has identified concerns about drink-fuelled violence and illness across the country.

Professor Ian Gilmore, the chairman of the college’s alcohol committee, said evidence from other countries showed that liberalising licensing laws would cause an increase in violence and alcohol-related illness.

"It is fanciful to think we can turn ourselves into a French-style wine-tippling culture merely by licensing regulations," he said.

Last May, Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, unveiled plans for a shake-up of Scotland’s licensing laws to combat the country’s woeful record on alcohol. Although her white paper on licensing ruled out 24-hour drinking, it does include proposals for later opening hours allied to a crackdown on irresponsible drinks promotions.

Recent figures reveal that alcohol-related deaths in Scotland have quadrupled in the past two decades from 583 a year to 1,957.

Estimates suggest Scotland’s drink culture is costing the nation 1 billion a year, including 100 million spent by the NHS dealing with alcohol-related health problems. Across the UK, billions of pounds more are spent clearing up alcohol-related crime and social problems. Up to 17 million working days a year are lost to alcohol-related absence, further impacting on the economy.

"We are facing an epidemic of alcohol-related harm in this country," said Prof Gilmore.

"To extend the licensing hours flies in the face of common sense as well as the evidence we have got."

Plans to stagger the times drinkers left pubs were an attempt to "manage drunkenness" rather than prevent it, he added, saying the key was reducing the availability of alcohol and increasing the price.

Last night, Shona Robison, the SNP’s health spokeswoman, said the nation’s alcohol problems needed to be addressed urgently. "We need to look seriously at ways of encouraging people to reduce their alcohol intake and also the longer-term factors of combating alcoholism and other health problems," she said.

But David Davidson, the health spokesman for the Scottish Tories, warned against a "knee-jerk reaction" to reports highlighting concern over alcohol. He said: "By liberalising conditions and treating adults like adults we might get a better response as long as it is coupled with good education about the problems of excess."

The Scottish Executive insisted ministers had introduced a range of measures to combat alcohol-related problems, in addition to the new licensing laws.

A spokesman said: "In March, we announced specific additional resources of 8 million in the next two years to support the implementation of three-year, local alcohol action plans across Scotland."

Yesterday warnings from the Royal College of Physicians come after one of Britain’s top police officers said the move to allow English pubs to stay open 24 hours a day needed to be "slowed down" and "given more consideration".

Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said that if forces had to man the streets when people left pubs at about 3am, it would take officers away from other duties.