Rise in alcohol-related deaths in D&G and Borders

Border
alcholol
deaths
Dumfries and Galloway
Thursday 10 August 2017 at 9:58am

MSP Colin Smyth has branded the rise a 'serious concern' Credit: PA

New figures have shown a rise in alcohol-related deaths in Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders.

This comes from a report by the National Record of Scotland that shows an increase of at least one fatality in each region last year compared to 2015.

In D&G there were 18 deaths in 2014 but that increased to 26 in 2015 and 27 in 2016.

In Scottish Borders there were 16 deaths in 2015 and 18 in 2016.

MSP Colin Smyth has branded the rise a 'serious concern':

The Public Health Minister says the government is looking to tackle alcohol misuse by increasing prices through the Minimum Unit Pricing policy: