FIGURES have revealed the full extent that alcohol misuse is having on the economy in an area of the North-East – costing the workplace £77m each year.

The research by Balance, the North-East Alcohol Office, shows that each year in County Durham and Darlington an estimated 138,000 work days are lost and 139,000 sick days are taken because of alcohol.

The figures revealed that in County Durham and Darlington alcohol misuse cost the NHS £58m, while alcoholrelated crime and costs associated with controlling the sale of alcohol cost £75m – with 41,052 recorded alcoholrelated crimes.

Alcohol also cost social services £20m.

The total cost to County Durham and Darlington is £231m – the equivalent of £788 for every man, woman and child.

Alcohol misuse is costing the North-East, as a whole, £1.1bn, with the region’s wider economy being charged up to £404m and social services £106m.

Colin Shevills, director at Balance, said: “We have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol in the North-East with the highest rate of alcoholrelated hospital admissions, the highest rate of under-18s in alcohol treatment and nearly half of our crime is alcohol-related.

“Price is a significant factor in this. Supermarkets are selling products such as strong white cider for only 19p per unit in the North-East, with alcohol sometimes being sold cheaper than water. Clearing up the harm caused by the wide availability of cheap alcohol is costing every taxpayer in the North-East.

“A key part of the solution will be the introduction of a minimum unit price, which the Government has backed and is due to consult on later this month. It’s a targeted measure which will increase the price of the cheapest, strongest alcohol – traditionally purchased by younger and heavier drinkers.

“Under a minimum 50p per unit, which is recommended by experts, moderate drinkers would spend only 28p extra a week on alcohol, saving thousands of lives and preventing tens of thousands of instances of crimes.”

Councillor Lucy Hovvels, Durham County Council’s portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “The impact of the availability of cheap alcohol is shocking, not least on the families trying to cope with misuse. It’s also a problem costing us all far too much and must be dealt with quickly and effectively.”