Town named as alcohol 'blackspot'

Youth drinking alcohol

Rochdale has been named as one of the country's 'alcohol blackspots' and a leading liver doctor has called for a ban on alcohol sales in the town.

Professor Ian Gilmore called for a prohibition-type law to be introduced in the country's worst areas for drinking, which includes Rochdale. Alcohol sales would be blocked because the health risks caused by drinking are higher in Rochdale than in the majority of towns across the country.

Rochdale is in the top ten alcohol blackspots according to the Public Health Observatory, while in Middleton people are more likely to be admitted to hospital for drink-related health problems than almost anywhere else in Britain.

One in five people in Middleton are clinically obese with life expectancy two years below the national average.