Families could end up paying price for real cost of cheap Christmas and New Year booze, say campaigners

THE North West wellbeing and health campaign group Our Life has warned that families across the region could end up paying the price for cheap Christmas and New Year booze, as some stores continue to sell alcohol for the same price as cans of coke.

Our Life chief executive Dr Alison Giles said:- “Supermarkets are already selling alcohol at pocket-money prices, but Christmas and New Year has seen retailers falling over themselves to offer the cheapest promotions to attract customers through their doors. Everyone loves a bargain and on the face of it such offers look attractive, but what is the real cost of these savings?”

That real cost, according to Our Life, is a 64% rise in hospital admissions due to alcohol harm in the North West over the past five years. “Added to that, last year more than 73,000 crimes were recorded across the region, of which 50,000 were violent offences and the financial cost of alcohol-related harm to the NHS in the North West alone is already estimated to be in excess of £400 million per year...” said Dr Giles.

In October 2009, Our Life published a report on its investigations into how alcohol is promoted and sold by supermarkets in the North West. The results revealed just how low the supermarkets would go to get customers through the door with alcohol routinely being sold for as little as 14p per unit of alcohol. Our Life found that in many stores the cheapest 330ml can of Coca-Cola is available for a cost of 32.7p and a 440ml can of 5.3% ABV Strongbow cider could be purchased at almost exactly the same price (33.3p).

“The supermarkets’ Christmas and New Year offers highlight once again that cheap alcohol is a key component in the retailers’ strategies to win market share. These super-cheap deals are making it too easy for people to drink at harmful levels and it has to stop. If supermarkets can’t be trusted to show responsibility to their local communities when it comes to alcohol pricing, then those communities will start asking serious questions about the irresponsible behaviour of companies who often say that they have their customers' interests at heart." said Dr Giles.

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Award Beats Drum for Drivers

HIGHWAYS Agency engineers and contractors in Greater Manchester have won an award for innovation after delivering improvements along the M61 at the same time as reducing inconvenience to drivers.

The use of the Dynamic Roadspace Utilisation Manager (DRUM) for the first time anywhere outside the South East shaved two weeks off the time needed to deliver the £4.1m scheme between Junctions 3 and 4 of the motorway near Bolton.

By utilising DRUM engineers were able to calculate windows when contractors were able to extend work beyond traditional working times – enabling them to finish the work to install a new concrete safety barrier and other improvements more quickly.

The system works by using trailer-mounted sensors to acquire live, real-time data on traffic flow. By combining this fresh information with historical statistics, specially-designed software then calculates the optimum time for lane closures, improving the pace at which roadworks can be undertaken.

The work on the M61, which also included bridge improvements, began at the end of May and was finished two weeks ahead of schedule on Saturday, September 12, saving £250,000 in the process.

Around 80,000 drivers use this section of the M61 each day and Highways Agency Project Sponsor John Mather said:- “No one likes roadworks but they are a necessity to keep our motorways operating safely. By using DRUM we were able to ensure that the work was completed and roadworks lifted sooner than originally anticipated. Using DRUM on this scheme has saved us time and public money as well as reducing inconvenience to our customers using the motorway network.”

The benefits of deploying DRUM along the M61 included fitting in 20 extra hours work at the weekends with day and night shifts getting on with work without getting in each other’s way.

DRUM was devised by contractor Costain, transport consultancy TRL and technology supplier MTS. It will now be considered for use during other schemes in the North West.

Its use on the M61 scooped first prize for innovation in the Agency’s own Phil Stanton awards earlier this month. The internal competition is designed to encourage fresh construction solutions from contractors within the Highways Agency’s Construction Management Framework. The framework covers south Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

Billy Butler & Wally Scott's Variety Show - LATEST NEWS

STOP PRESS!!!! Once again, for the third year running, Stephen Williams, Award Winning Magician will be performing for the RNLI - this time in:- 'Billy Butler & Wally Scott's Variety Show'... Starring a host of Liverpool's finest singers, comedians, and magic from Stephen Williams, live at the Crosby Civic Hall only on 23 January 2010. For tickets or more information, please call the box office on:- 0151 928 1919.  For more information about the show you can go to:- seftonarts.co.uk.