Health groups have called for the Government to act to tackle the “plague” of illness caused by cheap alcohol.
Campaigners found young adults could get drunk on strong cider for as little as 10p a unit and for half the price of a bar of chocolate.
Their study coincides with criticism from two charities that millions of children are being left to cope with the effects of their parents’ drinking problems.
Alcohol Concern and The Children’s Society want a public inquiry into a system they claim currently “sweeps the problem under the carpet”.
A poll they conducted found more than four in five adults believe misuse of alcohol by mothers and fathers was as harmful to children as parents who used drugs.
The charities believe more needs to be known about the scale of the problem, its costs to society and how best to tackle the issue.
Young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.
Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said an inquiry must examine “all aspects of parental alcohol misuse so that we can improve outcomes for these children”.
He pointed to research last year which found 2.6 million children in the UK were living with parents who are drinking hazardously.
The charities’ push came as a study on alcohol pricing found unbranded lager available for as little as 26p a pint, with 1.76 litre bottles sold for 92p.
The pricing means a woman could drink more than her daily recommended allowance for just 30p.
The chairwoman of the body which carried out the research said the price of the cheapest alcohol had been “largely unaffected” despite inflation.
Deborah Evans, of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative, said: “The grand talk in Parliament has had no effect on prices being paid at the checkout.
“As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.”
She called for “strong and decisive action if we have any hope of tackling the plague of illness and injury caused by selling alcohol more cheaply than water”.
Source: Sky News (UK), 18/10/10
