Britain’s drinking deaths rose at record rate in pandemic

Official figures show deaths increased nearly 19% in 2020 as Public Health England notes changing consumption patterns

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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.