HALF of city centre off-licences have signed up to a campaign to rid Nottingham of cheap super-strength beers and ciders.
Nottingham City Council launched their Super Strength Free campaign at the Broadway Cinema, in Hockley, yesterday, and so far 15 out of 30 off-licenses in the city centre have signed up.
Supermarket groups such as Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's are also considering taking part.
As part of the campaign, beers and ciders stronger than 5.6 per cent will not be sold if they fall below a certain price, dependent on exactly how strong they are.
A similar scheme is underway in Ipswich, where a 50% reduction in alcohol-related crime has been seen since its introduction last year.
Sharif Hussain, owner of independent off-licence Uni Express, in Talbot Street, said: "When I opened my shop three years ago I made a conscious decision not to sell this type of product after doing some research about its effects on people's health."
Mr Hussain added that other owners of small shops were reluctant to join the campaign because they were worried it would deter some regular shoppers from coming back.
"I've found that my customers feel safer and are more likely to shop here if there are less alcoholics around to intimidate them," he said.
"I want to show other retailers that they can run a successful business in this trade without selling dangerous products, as I have done for years."
A can of Tennent's Special Brew contains more than four units of alcohol , while the recommended daily intake for men is 3-4 units per day.
Nottingham currently has 20% more alcohol-related hospital admissions than the national average.
Dr Chris Kenny, director of public health for both Nottingham City and Notts County Councils, said: "We have a big problem in the city with hospital admissions due to alcohol. Super strength is a major contributing factor and it's simply too cheap. One can is like drinking four glasses of wine."
Notts Chief Constable Chris Eyre said: "If you look at the people in A and E on a Friday or Saturday night, the underlying cause of the majority of problems you see is alcohol. We are trying to reduce those risks."
He said that drunk people were more likely to be victims of crime, and more likely to commit crimes. "It's also about safety," he added. "We want this to be a safe city centre, bustling with life. If we have the reputation of being a safe city centre, it will attract more people to come here.
Talks are ongoing with the large supermarket groups to take part in the scheme.
The Co-operative was the only group to attend the launch event. A spokesman said: "We are always open to working with local authorities and other organisations to find new ideas, and are looking at new approaches to help our customers drink responsibly.
"However, it is essential that, as a national retailer, we adopt a consistent and controlled approach when taking any action regarding the sale of super-strength alcohol."
