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18 Feb, 2014

Alcohol trade ‘must act on UK drink problem’ or face government action – The Independent

The UK drinks industry has been ordered by the Home Office to produce plans to tackle the sale and promotion of cheap super-strength beers and cider by the summer or face government action.

Crime Prevention minister Norman Baker said that some alcohol producers and sellers have tried to ignore the Home Office’s demands for a strategy to crush problem drinking in the hope that the policy will be ditched after the general election next year.

Since he joined the Home Office in October, Mr Baker has been shocked by the scale of alcohol-related crime, which costs England and Wales £11bn a year. About 15,000 people die every year from alcohol-linked illnesses. The Home Office told the industry last year that it needed to set up voluntary commitments, such as minimising alcohol advertising and confining displays and promotions to single areas.

Read the rest: Alcohol trade ‘must act on UK drink problem’ or face government action – UK Politics – UK – The Independent.