A NEW set of figures predicts that more than 200,000 people could die early from alcohol-related problems over the next 20 years.

The Royal College of Physicians says that 70,000 of the deaths in England and Wales could be from liver disease with the rest from accidents, violence and chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, breast cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.

We now await the knee-jerk brigade to call for drink prices to be raised, something the prime minister hinted at last week when he pledged a crackdown on excessive drinking.

We have never believed that raising alcohol cost will solve the problem and think that all it will do is hit the pocket of many people who enjoy a sensible tipple.

Yet again the majority end up paying a price for the shortcomings of a minority.

Of course the deaths are worrying and it would be foolish of us to simply shrug them off. But we don’t believe the cost of alcohol has anything to do with it, it is more underlying problems in a person’s personality.

If they want to drink they will find a way to drink regardless of cost.

In fact, the latest figures are a slight improvement on the 250,000 avoidable deaths attributable to alcohol envisaged last year.

The majority of people in the UK enjoy a drink at sensible levels and their health is not being affected.

We believe it would be foolish and short-sighted to bring in a minimum alcohol price based on the failings of a few.