SNP's alcohol price strategy condemned

While it was the lowest on record, the figure was still one whole litre above that seen in England and Wales.

- BY CRAIG PATON

Dr Tara Shivaji, a consultant in public health medicine at PHS, raised the alarm following the statistics, warning the amount of alcohol harm could rise by one fifth in the next two decades.

"Today's updates add to the evidence base that as a population, Scotland is consuming too much alcohol," she said.

"If current drinking patterns continue, we project a 21 per cent increase in alcohol-related disease burden by 2043 compared to 2019 levels.

"This means thousands more individuals and families facing the devastating impacts of alcohol-related ill health, such as liver disease, heart disease, stroke and cancer."