The decline in the amount of alcohol sold per adult in Scotland could be stalling, according to an NHS report.
Alcohol sales provide the most accurate estimate of the population’s levels of consumption, and the falling sales had been praised by charities and health experts.
The report by NHS Health Scotland says the fall appears to be levelling off due to more alcohol being sold at off-licences and supermarkets last year compared with recent years.
Anti-alcohol abuse campaigners say retailers are still selling alcohol at discounted prices, even though the Scottish government has tried to clamp down on cut-price offers.
Analysis of the most recent data showed that 10.7 litres of pure alcohol was sold per adult in Scotland last year, equivalent to 41 bottles of vodka, 114 bottles of wine or 470 pints of beer.
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The study, published today, found that 72 per cent of alcohol was sold through off-sales, which is the highest market share since recording began in 1994.
The report, Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: annual update of alcohol sales and price band analyses, revealed that alcohol sales in Scotland were 18 per cent higher than in England and Wales in 2014.
This was mainly due to higher sales of lower-priced alcohol, particularly spirits, through supermarkets and off- licences. It found that more than twice as much vodka was sold off-sales per adult in Scotland than in England and Wales.
Dr Mark Robinson, public health information manager at NHS Health Scotland, said: “It is concerning that the recent falls in population alcohol consumption have not continued and that off-trade alcohol sales may be starting to rise again. This has coincided with increasing disposable incomes and wider economic conditions that have kept the price of off-sales alcohol low.
“Higher levels of alcohol consumption result in higher levels of alcohol-related harm, and these present a substantial public health and economic cost to Scotland.”
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Barbara O’Donnell, acting chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, a charity which works to reduce alcohol harm, said: “It is disappointing that the recent downward trend in alcohol sales has stalled as alcohol becomes more affordable again. Cheap supermarket vodka and cider fuel so much of the health and social harm that affects individuals, families and communities across Scotland.”