Sales of beer, wine, cider all on the rise

Alcohol consumption levels increased last year, driven by hikes in wine and beer sales, provisional figures show.

It comes as Dr Ciara Kelly, the only public health doctor on the board of a new Diageo-funded alcohol awareness campaign, stepped down — just three weeks after the group was launched.

While critics of the group said it undermined the credibility of the Stop Out-of-Control Drinking campaign, a spokesman for the body said her departure was due to “time constraints” faced by the GP.