Blair campaign to fight binge drinking

Binge drinking was branded "the new British disease" by Tony Blair today.

He called for a crackdown after evidence that drunken yobs are behind rising violent crime.

And he warned alcohol manufacturers may have to pay for late-night policing in town centres.

"Millions of people drink alcohol responsibly every day. No-one wants to stop that pleasure," he was expected to tell a conference on safe drinking. But there is a clear and growing problem in our town and city centre streets up and down the country on Friday and Saturday nights. New powers are there. They need to be used."

The Government has been alarmed that concern over violent crime, often fuelled by drink, has largely drawn public attention away from the decline in crime overall achieved since

1997.

The British Crime Survey found that 44 per cent of victims of violence thought their attacker was under the influence of alcohol and around 70 per cent of night admissions to hospital casualty departments at weekends are linked to drinking.

The Government is currently working with the drinks industry on the development of their social responsibility.