'One in four' Lambourn adults are binge drinkers

'The statistics are quite startling' - local pharmacist Graham Jones

IT’S official – Lambourn has a “significant” problem with binge drinking, with around a quarter of the adult village population doing it.

West Berkshire Council has publicised figures and distributed posters, which state: “It is estimated that 24.9 per cent of adults in Lambourn binge drink.”

And to help combat the issue, the council hosted a local Alcohol Awareness Event last week with free advice and health checks.

The district council said the statistic came from Public Health England and appears on the ward profile for Lambourn on West Berkshire Council’s website. Each ward has its own data.

Former West Berkshire Council leader Graham Jones, who runs the local pharmacy, said: “Statistics show that Lambourn has a higher incidence of alcohol harm than most [comparable areas]. The statistics are quite startling.”

He added: “As a professional pharmacist I spend a lot of time talking with customers with drug addictions, but I’ve only lost one during the past 25 years.

“But I couldn’t tell you how many have died due to the effects of alcohol.

“As a country we spend a huge amount of time worrying about illegal drugs, but alcohol problems are often hidden.”

Mr Jones said the workshops were aimed at raising the profile of the problem and “giving people the opportunity to understand the effects of alcohol drinking”.

He said: “We want people who are concerned about their alcohol intake to know what advice and support is available.”

He went on: “Lambourn does have a more significant problem than the rest of West Berkshire, that’s quite clear.

“It comes down to the culture of what is a fairly unique place. I do think that, anecdotally, people tend to equate that with the horseracing industry, where you’ve got a lot of young people living close together.”