Britons are now heavier drinkers than Russians, according to official data from the World Health Organisation, and England tops the European table for child and teenage drunkenness.
Opposition politicians seized on the figures as evidence the government should now reconsider the liberal policy on alcohol as it prepares to publish a review of 24-hour drinking laws
The average Briton consumes 9.29 litres of pure alcohol every year, compared with 8.87 in Russia.
That ranks the country 16th in a world table, topped by Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Germany.
The Sunday Times 02/03/08 page 2
