Alcohol-related conditions claiming lives of four people every month in Renfrewshire

Four people in Renfrewshire are losing their lives to alcohol every month, new figures have revealed.

- EDEL KENEALY

A total of 49 people lost their lives to alcohol in 2024 - a number that has remained stubbornly high over the past five years.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that, between 2020 and 2024, a total of 241 people lost their lives to alcohol in the council area.

The figures mean that Renfrewshire jumped to seventh worst area for the number of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland.

It means that for every 100,000 members of the population, 24. 9 people died.

Across Scotland, alcohol-related deaths decreased by seven per cent in 2024.

However the decrease has been smaller in Renfrewshire, with the drop in deaths, from 52 to 49, representing a cut of just five per cent.

Responding to the latest figures, John Goldie, chair of Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, said the ADP was expanding access to alcohol treatment services and harm reduction programmes to try and reduce the impact of alcohol harms in the future.