Booze cheaper than water in British stores

LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Thirsty consumers seeking to wet their whistles can pay less for booze than bottled water at leading British supermarkets, research indicates.

The British government announced plans last week to tackle a binge drinking epidemic in the country by banning bars and shops from having "irresponsible" price promotions. But the anti-substance abuse charity Addaction says its research shows that discounted store-brand alcohol can be had for as little as 35 cents per can, The Times of London reported Monday.

The newspaper said Addaction analyzed a shopping basket of popular alcoholic drinks from supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA, finding that although the array of cheap alcohol has shrunk over the past year, grocers are still offering their own brands of "value booze."

For instance, Addaction found hard cider sold by the three supermarkets cost 90 cents per liter, less than a bottle of Coca-Cola, The Times reported.