Suffolk: Alcohol Kills Every 2 Days

9 October 2012, 16:17 | Updated: 9 October 2012, 16:38

The NHS in Suffolk are urging people across the county to be more responsible when drinking alcohol.

The announcement comes after it was revealed that one person dies of alcohol related conditions in Suffolk every 48 hours.

The statistics released by NHS Suffolk also show that 13,000 people have been admitted to Suffolk hospitals with alcohol related incidents in the last 5 years – of which 150 were children.

The 'alarming' figures led to NHS Suffolk starting a campaign called ‘Reducing the Strength’.

Sally Hogg, assistant director of public health for NHS Suffolk helped with the campaign.

She said: “The police in Suffolk had become very worried about street drinkers and the sale of super strength alcohol.

“They wanted to join together with all their partners to take all super strength alcohol off the street. “

The campaign prompted stores such as Tesco, East of England Co-op and McColls newsagents to remove super-strength alcohol from their shelves.

It aims to remove all beer and cider with an ABV of 6.5% and above. 

Suffolk Police, Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council have also backed the initiative.

“We don’t want to stop people having a glass of wine or a pint of beer but it’s really about trying to stay within the recommended alcohol levels and trying not to drink every night,” she added.

More information about alcohol and recommended daily amounts can be found at www.drinkaware.co.uk

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