THE Scottish government must take on big business if it is to tackle the highest number of alcohol-related deaths in over a decade, campaigners say.

Latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today show a deteriorating picture across Britain, with 10,048 people killed by alcohol in 2022 — 1,276 in Scotland, the highest since 2008.

The rise is partly being put down to a post-pandemic trend, which has seen deaths rise by around a third since 2019.

Alcohol Focus Scotland’s Alison Douglas points to the slower 25 per cent growth in Scotland since 2019 as evidence of the “lifesaving impact of minimum unit pricing,” but warned that a 40 per cent drop in people accessing alcohol treatment must be reversed to tackle the emergency.

She said: “We know what works — making alcohol less affordable, restricting how it is marketed and reducing how widely available it is.

 “It’s time we got on and implemented these essential public health policies and put people’s right to good health above the interests of big business.”

SNP drugs and alcohol policy minister Christina McKelvie said: “The Scottish government is determined to do all it can to reduce alcohol-related harm.”