Killer cocktail

Experts today said low-price drink was putting lives at risk, after an Evening Press investigation discovered that shops in the city were selling high-strength alcohol at knock-down prices.

At one store, we picked up extra-strong cider, alcopops, wine and lager - at nearly double the recommended alcohol intake for women - for just £4.74.

Alison Tubbs, of York Alcohol Advice Service, said: "Drinking that amount could be fatal for some people."

SUPERMARKETS in York were today accused of fuelling binge drinking by selling alcohol at dangerously low prices.

Experts said cut-price drink was putting lives at risk, after an Evening Press investigation discovered shops across the city selling high-strength booze at knock-down prices.

At one city supermarket, less than £5 was enough to buy a selection of drinks totalling 26.5 units of alcohol - a potentially deadly dosage.

Alison Tubbs, of York Alcohol Advice Service, said: "Drinking that amount could be fatal for some people, particularly young people."

We visited stores across York and found beer, wine and spirits for sale at bargain basement prices.

They included:

Extra strong cider at less than 40p a pint

Cans of beer for 22p each - equivalent to 28p a pint

Top-brand lager for 59p a pint

Bottles of wine for less than £1 each

Bottles of whisky for less than £7

At Netto, in Layerthorpe, we were able to buy two litres of "extra strong" cider, a bottle of white wine, four cans of lager and two alcopops for only £4.74.

The total alcohol level came to 26.5 units - almost twice the maximum recommended weekly intake for women, and five units more than the maximum recommended for men.

Dr Moira Plant, Professor in Alcohol Studies at the University of the West of England, said: "That is remarkably cheap, and I think one of the groups that this really is a risk for young women. This is a classic example of what young women buy," she said.

Dr Plant, who was in York this week for the International Nursing Research Conference, called for Government action.

She said: "We have to stop the promotional prices across the board - then it ceases to be a competition."

She added: "I think the Government has to take this in hand. To some extent you will be able to work with the industry to make the situation better, but at the end of the day it is an industry whose business is selling alcohol. We need more than just gentlemen's agreements. It's got beyond that stage now."

Ms Tubbs added: "The Government should do something to stop shops and pubs actively encouraging people to do 'power drinking'."

Last September, the Evening Press revealed one in four people in York drank too much.

Alcohol Concern found almost 18,000 women and more than 30,000 men in the city drink more than their daily recommended limit.

More than 24,000 people were regularly binge drinking and 6,600 people were drinking at levels harmful to their health.

Rachel Johns, pictured, director of public health at Selby and York Primary Care Trust, said: "It's really important that people understand the number of units they should be drinking during the week, and keep an eye on what they are drinking."

What York's supermarkets said

WE VISITED several supermarkets across York to check for cheap drink. This is a selection of what we found, and what the stores said:

Tesco - Clifton Moor, York

lFour 440ml cans of Tesco Value lager, at two per cent volume: 88p - or 28.4p a pint.

lTwo litres of Tesco Value dry cider, at 4.2 per cent volume: £1.38 - or 39p a pint.

l700ml bottle of vodka at 37.5 per cent volume: £6.80

l750ml bottle Tesco Sparkling Perry, at 5.5 per cent volume: 84p

A spokeswoman said: "While we do not apologise for the great value and deals we offer customers, we do understand we have a role to play in providing customers with the information they need to make an informed choice. We were the first major supermarket to print the number of alcohol units on the back of all our own label beers, wines and spirits, ten years ago."

Sainsbury's - Foss Bank, York

lSainsbury's own lager was cheaper than their cola. Four 440ml cans of Sainsbury's basic lager cost 88p - or 28.4p a pint. Six 330ml cans of Sainsbury's cola cost £1.19 - or 34.1p a pint.

lTwo litres of Sainsbury's basic cider, at 4.2 per cent: £1.38 - or 39p a pint.

l750ml bottle of German Hock white wine, at nine per cent volume: £1.88

l700ml bottle of vodka, at 37.5 per cent volume: £6.99

Spokeswoman Melanie Etches said: "We do recognise that Sainsbury's has a role to play in promoting responsible drinking. We offer a range of products in our stores that deliver quality and value to our customers, and these include alcoholic drinks. However as a responsible retailer we do not encourage the over-consumption of alcohol."

Asda - Monk's Cross, York

lAsda's own lager was more expensive than other supermarkets, with ten bottles of 2.8 per cent French lager costing £1.99 - or 45.2p a pint. But their top-brand lager was the cheapest we found. A crate of 24 440ml cans of Castlemaine was just £10.98 - equivalent to 59.1p a pint.

lTwo litres of Asda Oakstone cider, at 4.2 per cent volume: £1.38 - or 39p a pint.

l750ml bottle of Hidden Vineyards medium dry white wine, at 8.5 per cent volume: £1.92

l700ml bottle of whisky, at 40 per cent volume: £6.86

Spokeswoman Rachel Fellows said: "We would absolutely contend the claim that we are fuelling binge drinking. Yes, we offer our customers great value - we do that on all sort of products."

Morrison's - Portholme Road, Selby

lFour 440ml cans of Bettabuy lager, at two per cent volume: 88p - or 28.4p a pint.

lThree litres of Morrisons's dry cider, at six per cent volume: £2.42 - or 45.8p a pint.

l750ml bottle of Sol de Espana red or white wine, at 11 per cent volume: £1.99.

A spokesman said: "As a major retailer we take our responsibility with regard to selling alcohol very seriously and have procedures in place designed to discourage the misuse of alcohol and adhere to all legal requirements."

Updated: 09:09 Saturday, March 25, 2006