Supermarket alcohol is more than twice as affordable now as it was 30 years ago, researchers have found.
The price of beer, wine and spirits have risen far more slowly than wages since 1987, according to analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies.
Experts assessed alcohol prices against wages and inflation, and found supermarket beer is 188 per cent more affordable than it was three decades ago.
The price of beer, wine and spirits have risen far more slowly than wages since 1987, according to analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (stock image)
That means the wages earned for an hour’s work will buy nearly three times as much beer now as it would in the 1980s.
Wine and spirits bought in supermarkets and off-licences is 131 per cent more affordable – so wages buy more than twice as much.
Prices in pubs, bars and restaurants, however, have risen nearly as quickly as wages.
Pub beer is just 31 per cent more affordable than it was in 1987 and wine and spirits are 34 per cent more affordable.
Experts believe cheap drink is one of the main drivers of alcohol abuse in Britain.
Health charities are campaigning for a minimum price for every unit of alcohol sold – plan that is set to be adopted in Scotland but has been resisted in England.
Katherine Brown, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies said: ‘Evidence shows that as alcohol becomes more affordable, communities experience greater levels of harm.
‘In England cheap alcohol is creating a huge burden on our NHS, police and public services with more than 1.2 million hospital admissions and one million crimes related to alcohol each year.
‘These findings strengthen the case for minimum unit pricing, which would target the cheapest alcohol drunk by those causing damage to themselves and others without affecting the cost of a pint down the pub.’
Health charities are campaigning for a minimum price for every unit of alcohol sold
Minimum unit pricing will come into force in Scotland on May 1 this year, setting a floor price of 50p per unit.
If the same measure were to be introduced in England experts believe 525 deaths and 22,000 hospital admissions would be prevented each year.
The issue will be debated in the House of Lords today.
Lord Rennard, a campaigner on the issue who is set to speak in the debate, said last night: ‘The figures show that alcohol has effectively got much cheaper to buy. There are real dangers that cheap alcohol can ruin people’s lives and cause great harm to others.
‘That is why I will be asking the Government to follow what is happening in the rest of the UK. It should bring in minimum unit pricing in England in order to save lives and to reduce the burden on our hospitals and police forces.’