Yorkshire home to a million 'dangerdrinkers'

Shocking figures out today reveal nearly one million people in Yorkshire drink hazardous levels of alcohol – the highest rate in England. The Yorkshire Post reports that a study into regional differences in drinking habits found that nearly a quarter of the population drink "hazardous and harmful" levels of booze but in Yorkshire the figure is even higher. Yorkshire also has the highest rates of binge drinking in England and the second highest rates of alcohol-related crime!

I suppose the fact that as there are over 80,000 unemployment claimants in Yorkshire and, we have one of the lowest educational achievement rates in our region, this must have a strong bearing on the problem? Add these factors to the government's mistaken belief that, Extended Drinking Hours will have little or no bearing on offending and, booze is stronger and more widely available for longer periods, then you have a recipe for problems.

To suggest the UK would be able to adopt a more continental attitude to drinking was ill informed. Especially when you expect our under achieving youth to make an educated and informed decision about the subject! It certainly isn't the case here. Reports of booze fulled disturbances come in far later into the small hours than was previously the case. Add the additional workloads and drain on limited police resources, often with large rural areas to cover and the problem is phenomenal. Unfortunately, those limited resources also have limited backup available and this in itself is a major personal safety worry!

No, when you have a large proportion of our young people (who are often little more intelligent than frogs) who set off with the sole intention of drinking as much of the strongest booze they can get, for as long as possible to get as 'hammered' as possible, is it any wonder? And, because they are unemployed (or unemployable) they don't have to get up for work in the morning... Always assuming they actually got home and went to bed in the first place!