Londoners drink less than rest of UK, says survey

Londoners drink less regularly than people in any other part of the country, official figures revealed today.

The Office for National Statistics said that only 47 per cent of people in the capital had drunk alcohol in the previous week when being questioned for its annual survey on drinking habits.

That compares with a figure of 70.1 per cent in the South West, the heaviest drinking part of England, and a national average of 57.4 per cent.

The statisticians said a key factor behind London’s relatively abstemious status - which comes despite greater levels of drinking among wealthier people - was likely to be the higher proportion of Londoners from ethnic backgrounds.

The disclosure came as today’s figures also revealed that the overall proportion of adults consuming alcohol has fallen to its lowest level since the statisticians began collating data in 2005 with four out of ten people shunning drink in the week before the survey.

The new statistics also show that young people aged between 16 and 24 are the least likely to drink regularly but the most likely to binge when they do.

On income, those earning £40,000 or more were the highest drinking group. Men were most likely to binge on normal strength beer, while women were most likely to over-indulge on wine.