Latest figures have revealed the number of people who died from excessive alcohol consumption in 2020 in south east London – which soared during the coronavirus pandemic.

Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware said the statistics are "devastating" and urged the Government to create a nationwide alcohol strategy to reduce the damage caused.

Alcohol-related deaths include those specifically caused by alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease, and diseases made more likely by extensive alcohol consumption, including heart disease or various types of cancer.

Across England, 293,980 years of life were lost due to alcohol-related conditions in men in 2020.

This fell to 138,060 years among females, though both are at their highest level since records began in 2016.

Potential years of life lost are calculated by multiplying the total number of alcohol-related deaths occurring at each age by the number of remaining years left to live, according to life expectancy estimates.

Here are the figures for south east London from the Office for Health and Improvement Disparities, listed from high to low:

 

• Greenwich: Figures show premature deaths from alcohol-related conditions led to a potential 1,823 years of life being lost in Greenwich in 2020 – up from 1,590 in 2019, and the highest number since 2016, when records began.

Of these, 1,416 (78 per cent) were as a result of alcohol-related deaths among men, and 407 (22 per cent) among women.

 

• Lewisham: Figures show premature deaths from alcohol-related conditions led to a potential 1,608 years of life being lost in Lewisham in 2020 – though this was down from 1,824 in 2019.

Of these, 1,159 (72 per cent) were as a result of alcohol-related deaths among men, and 449 (28 per cent) among women.

 

• Bromley: Figures show premature deaths from alcohol-related conditions led to a potential 1,454 years of life being lost in Bromley in 2020 – though this was down from 1,602 in 2019.

Of these, 988 (68 per cent) were as a result of alcohol-related deaths among men, and 465 (32 per cent) among women.

 

• Bexley: Figures show premature deaths from alcohol-related conditions led to a potential 1,203 years of life being lost in Bexley in 2020 – up from 1,120 in 2019.

Of these, 874 (73 per cent) were as a result of alcohol-related deaths among men, and 329 (27 per cent) among women.

 

Karen Tyrell, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: "These statistics are absolutely devastating, each number masking an individual family tragedy.

"We also know that the heaviest drinkers drank more during the pandemic, and warning signs were missed as people saw each other less and were less able to access support.

"This created a perfect storm and we are now seeing the consequences."

Separate Office for National Statistics figures show that deaths as a direct result of alcohol consumption rose during the pandemic.

Across England, there were 7,600 alcohol-specific deaths in 2021 – the highest number since records began in 2001 and a 30 per cent increase from 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.

In London, 793 people died from alcohol-specific causes – up from 579 in 2019 and also a record.

It meant 10.2 per 100,000 people in the region died due to alcohol in 2021.

The ONS said: "Alcohol-specific deaths have risen sharply since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with alcoholic liver disease the leading cause of these deaths.

"This rise is likely to be the result of increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

"Research has suggested that people who were already drinking at higher levels before the pandemic were the most likely to have increased their alcohol consumption during this period."