Jackie Baillie has branded a new report into alcohol deaths ‘heartbreaking’ as it was revealed that the rate in West Dunbartonshire is higher than the Scottish average.

National Records of Scotland today published a report outlining death rates due to alcohol over the last five years. Along with six other authorities, West Dunbartonshire has a higher rate of alcohol-related deaths than the Scottish average. Only Glasgow City recorded worse figures over the period.

The outcome for people living in areas of multiple deprivation, such as West Dunbartonshire, continues to be far poorer than those in more affluent regions. Alcohol-specific deaths were 5.6 times as frequent in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas.

In total between 2017 and 2021, 140 people in West Dunbartonshire have died due to alcohol.

The Dumbarton constituency MSP said: “These figures are absolutely heartbreaking and again show the stark difference between deprived areas and more affluent communities.

“It is tragic that 140 people have lost their lives locally in the last five years due to alcohol. These deaths are preventable and show the human cost of the failure by the Scottish Government to put a proper action plan in place to tackle these issues.

“Already the toll of drug deaths has been well documented but these figures should be a wake-up call that the Scottish Government needs to stop cutting alcohol treatment budgets and invest in saving lives in our communities.”