North East is "binge drinking capital" of the country

New figures from Public Health England show almost a third of adults in the region are drinking at harmful levels – the highest figure for any English region.

The figures show over 30% of adults in the North East are drinking above the recommended drinking guidelines of 14 units a week for both men and women. This is compared to around one in four (25.7%) in the rest of the country.

The data shows that enough alcohol is being sold for every drinker in the North East to be consuming 21.7 units every week – more than seven units above the Chief Medical Officers’ recommended guidelines.

The findings also show the North East is the binge drinking capital of the country, with almost a quarter (22.9%) of adult drinkers binge drinking on their heaviest drinking day of the week.

The figures come ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Budget, with health campaigners calling for a tax increase on high-strength white cider.