LIVERPOOL PCT CAMPAIGN BITES AS CITY LOSES ITS BINGE DRINKING CROWN - 20/06/08

Liverpool is no longer the binge drinking capital of the North West, according to research just released by health watchdog, the North West Public Health Observatory.

Latest league tables for the North West show that the city has been knocked off the top spot, it previously held, by Manchester and is now in second position. Looking at the country as a whole, it has dropped from second place to seventh.

The improvements indicate that Liverpool Primary Care Trust’s (PCT) Winter Pssst! campaign to tackle the city’s alcohol related problems is starting to bite.

“This is encouraging news and we will build on these results in coming months,” said Chair of Liverpool PCT and city Alcohol Champion, Gideon Ben-Tovim. “There is a lot more to do but we are committed to reducing the negative impact that alcohol, and particularly binge drinking, has on the productivity and image of the city.”

Based on national findings, the latest Health Observatory figures indicate a significant drop in the percentage of Liverpool’s population who binge drink, putting it a number of points lower than Manchester. Nationally, Newcastle-on-Tyne is now top of the list with Manchester, Middlesbrough, Durham, South Tyneside and Gateshead above Liverpool.

Liverpool PCT committed an extra £10 million to its anti-alcohol campaign at the end of last year. It is part of a three-year Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy and is linked to the Pssst! Alcohol awareness campaign backed by the trust and Citysafe.

Initiatives include education in schools, intervention in the workplace, improved access to treatment and raising awareness on the dangers of alcohol misuse.