Wigan top of booze shame list
Wigan is one of the worst places in the entire country for binge-drinkers and alcoholics.
And its booze problem is being linked with domestic violence and teenage pregnancy rates way above the national norm.
These are some of the shock findings of a variety of surveys and reports that prompted a major new alcohol strategy and action plan for the borough.
And with the festive season now in full swing and alcoholic excess an often accepted part of the latter-day traditions, the need for action seems even more urgent.
Wigan is ranked in the top 15 local authorities in the country for hazardous and harmful drinking and more than 6,000 people a year are admitted to hospital with alcohol-related conditions. That figure is the fourth highest in Greater Manchester and 20th highest in the country.
More than a third of men and a quarter of women admit to drinking more than the recommended weekly units, and a regional survey reveals that a third of 13 to 17-year-olds drink alcohol at least once a week, with a third of them binge-drinking at least once during that period.
Among sexually active 13 and 14-year-olds in the UK, 40% say they were drunk when they had intercourse for the first time. And the report to the council's building stronger communities scrutiny committee points out that Wigan has the eighth highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the North West.
While alcohol-related crime in the borough is below the regional average, it has been increasing since 2006-07. And nearly a fifth of crimes committed at weekends are alcohol-related, with the most common offence being less serious woundings followed by criminal damage.
It has also been well reported that reports of domestic violence in Wigan are consistently higher than anywhere else in Greater Manchester, and while that has in part been put down to the success of domestic violence courts and more victims showing a willingness to come forward, liquor is also said to be a factor.
A council spokesman said: "The harm associated with the misuse of alcohol is a serious concern for the Local Strategic Partnership.
"The successful implementation of the new Wigan Alcohol Strategy for 2009 to 2012, however, has the potential to impact favourably on the situation."
The document contains hundreds of targets and ideas covering the health service, criminal justice system and social services. These include:
Increasing the capacity of hospital-based staff such as alcohol workers in A&E to address alcohol abuse;
Helping non-alcohol specialist staff from partner organisations to spot tell-tale signs of harmful drinking in order to refer people for specialist help at the earliest possibly opportunity;
Developing a more consistent and coherent under-age drink warning message for delivery in schools;
Promoting the Responsible Alcohol Retailer Award to licensees and extending it to pubs and clubs;
Intervening and treating people with drink problems at each stage in the criminal justice system;
Identifying young people who are repeat attendees at sexual health clinics whose attendance may be linked to alcohol.
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
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Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
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