Doctors' anger as stores slash price of drink

Supermarkets have been accused of fuelling binge drinking by slashing the price of alcohol.

Figures reveal that some top-selling drinks are more than 20 per cent cheaper than a year ago. The big drops come amid soaring food inflation, Budget tax rises and escalating home bills.

The price of supermarket staples such as bread, tinned food and meat is rising by seven per cent a year on average, according to market analysts.

Yet a snapshot survey by mysupermarket.co.uk of beer, wine and favourite "alcopops" shows prices have fallen dramatically over 12 months.

It compared current costs with those last June at four leading supermarkets - Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury's and Waitrose's online retail arm Ocado.

Eight out of 15 drinks at Sainsbury's are cheaper than a year ago, including Hardy's Stamp Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, the UK's best-selling wine. It costs £4.48 a bottle, down by over a quarter. Carlsberg lager, Smirnoff Ice and WKD Vodka Blue are also cheaper in all four stores than 12 months ago.

WKD accounts for nearly a quarter of all sales in the ready-to-drink market, while Carlsberg is the top alcohol brand with 495 million pints sold a year.

Doctors and anti-addiction charities today reacted with outrage to the findings. Dr Nick Sherin of the Royal College of Physicians said the majority of supermarket alcohol was sold to the heaviest drinkers. The Royal College accused supermarket chiefs of using alcohol to bribe shoppers and called on the Government to confront them.

This comes as ministers next Tuesday unveil yet another campaign to curb excessive drinking among 16- to 24-year-olds. Market analyst David Buick from BCG Partners said: "The only thing that has come down in price is alcohol and clothes. Socially this is unsatisfactory and a great tragedy. "

Alcohol Concern spokesman Frank Soodeen warned: 'As long as supermarkets are prepared to use cheap alcohol as a bribe, the rates of misuse and illness are going to continue to rise."

All four retailers denied prices were fuelling binge drinking.

Sainsbury's said the "vast majority" of examples in the report were short-term promotions. Tesco said most customers bought alcohol as part of a weekly shop. An Asda spokeswoman said its customers drank sensibly and it was a responsible retailer. Waitrose said it never sold alcohol below cost price and Ocado prices were different from those in-store.