Danish brewer Carlsberg has become the latest drinks group to oppose government proposals to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol to tackle Britain’s binge-drinking culture.

COUNCILS have been urged to refuse new off-licences after a report ­revealed teenagers ­living near shops that sell ­alcohol are more likely to drink illegally.

Plans to impose a minimum price for alcohol of 45p a unit appear doomed in the face of powerful opposition from cabinet ministers in a blow for David Cameron.

Alcohol abuse is responsible for around a quarter of the 30,000 people who die in road accidents across the European Union every year, the bloc's drugs agency said in a report published on Friday.

While exposure to alcohol marketing is prevalent, and associated with both initiation and progression of alcohol use in underage youth, exactly how it works is not well understood.

Over nine million people died as a consequence of high blood pressure in 2010, making it the health risk factor with the greatest toll worldwide, say experts.