IT used to be the case that anyone wanting to buy in a large amount of cheap alcohol ready for a World Cup barbecue might have gone on a “booze cruise” to France.

Now they are more likely to pop down to the local supermarket, where multi-pack deals and falling prices mean you can pay as little as 70p for a pint of lager – and there are also plenty of bargains in the spirit and cider aisles.

In fact, cut-price alcohol is so ubiquitous, it is changing our nights out as well our nights in, with many young drinkers choosing to “preload” at home rather than starting evenings in the pub.

Antony Barnett counts the cost of alcohol-related crime, violence, accidents and disease, which is believed to run into billions, as well as looking at how the drinks industry is dealing with the Government’s attempts to clamp down on cheap booze.