Britain’s drinking deaths rose at record rate in pandemic
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent from on (#5SRSG)
Official figures show deaths increased nearly 19% in 2020 as Public Health England notes changing consumption patterns
Britain's lockdown drinking habits may have had fatal consequences. Deaths caused by alcohol in 2020 saw their biggest rise since records began, up almost 19%, according to annual figures from the Office for National Statistics.
There were 8,974 deaths from alcohol specific causes registered in the 12 months - the highest year-on-year increase since the data series began in 2001. It bucks a trend in which fatalities from alcohol remained stable for the previous seven years.
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