UK authorities unhappy about 'happy hours'

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-24  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

IRELAND has banned them, as has Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. Now the rest of Britain may be about to end "happy hours" at bars and restaurants in a bid to curb drinking, according to a government spokesman.

Health officials will decide whether to ban the happy hours ?? designated times for discount drinks ?? once an independent review is published in coming weeks, a health department spokesman said.

The proposal was one of several aimed at stemming a trend in binge drinking in recent years, particularly among teenagers and young adults.

The government also plans to spend 10 million pounds (US$15 million) on a new public awareness campaign, and wants to improve enforcement of laws against underage drinking.

National statistics show a steady rise in the number of alcohol-related deaths of heavy drinkers in their 40s and 50s.

From 1991 to 2006, the number of such deaths more than doubled to 8,758.

Alcohol-related deaths among people aged 25 to 29 were 40 percent higher in 2006 than the year before.

Low prices for alcohol helped encourage drinking among British youths, the British Liver Trust said.