This surge can be attributed to heavier drinking during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in approximately 2,500 more deaths from alcohol-specific causes compared to the pre-pandemic year.

During the pandemic, Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced higher per capita alcohol-related deaths compared to England.

A health statistician at the Office for National Statistics, David Mais, explained that individuals who already consumed alcohol heavily before the pandemic were more likely to increase their drinking, contributing to the rise in alcohol-specific deaths in 2022.

Alcoholic liver disease was the leading cause of these deaths, with men having around double the rate.

In England, the north-east region was most affected, and during the lockdowns, people bought 12.6m extra litres of alcohol from off-licences compared to the previous year.

From March 2020 to March 2021, there was a 57% rise in the number of people drinking at increasing and higher risk levels, as reported in a study by Public Health England, which is now known as the UK Health Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.