Introducing a minimum unit price policy for alcohol would have a big impact on heavy drinkers, while leaving moderate drinkers unaffected, researchers have claimed.The University of Southampton study examined the amount and type of alcohol consumed by 404 liver patients, as well as the amount of money they spent on it. Those with severe alcohol-related liver disease were drinking an equivalent of four bottles of vodka each week on average and paying just 33p per unit, while moderate drinkers were forking out an average of £1.10 per unit.

From these findings, the researchers concluded that introducing a minimum price of 50p per unit would have two hundred times the impact on heavy drinkers than on moderate ones. Study leader Professor Nick Sheron commented: “Setting a minimum unit price for alcohol is an almost perfect alcohol policy because it targets cheap booze bought by very heavy drinkers and leaves moderate drinkers completely unaffected.”