Broad-brush alcohol polices 'not working' says trade body

Policies aimed at the general population are not working in the fight against alcohol-related illness, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has said.

The BBPA today released figures showing that the amount the average person drinks in the UK fell by over 8% from the first half of 2008 to the first six months of 2009.

However, it pointed to the continued rise of alcohol-related hospital admissions as proof that policies aimed at controlling alcohol consumption at national level "do not work", and called on the Government to look into "more targeted policies".

Brigid Simmonds, BBPA Chief Executive, said: "In reality, alcohol policies designed to reduce drinking in the whole population are misguided. Controls on the total amount we drink will not work.

"What we need is a new debate about effective policy measures that are clearly targeted at the minority who misuse alcohol. Our industry is open to that debate and wants to be part of the solution."

Meanwhile, the Association of Convenience Stores has said that the 14% failure rate in this summer's alcohol test purchasing campaign "shows progress".

The campaign was part of the Government's £1.4 million crackdown on underage drinking, which saw 349 failures out of 2,467 retail visits.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: "The figures on test purchasing show progress and are a significant drop on the types of figures we saw in campaigns like this even two years ago.

"Progress is good, but it does not mean that this failure rate is tolerable. The industry still has to do more to ensure that no young person can buy alcohol for themselves in our shops."