David Ruffley MP has today released new House of Commons figures, obtained during his questioning of Angela Eagle, Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury, which reveal that the number of alcohol related deaths in Suffolk has hit a ten year high.

In 1997 there were 37 deaths, in which alcohol was the primary cause, recorded in Suffolk. In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 70 alcohol related deaths.

What is more, a growing number of children are now being hospitalised after being admitted to A&E due to alcohol misuse, with 497 incidents across the East of England last year. Across the country a whole, there has been an increase of 40 per cent since 2000.

Figures- unearthed by Her Majesty's Opposition in Parliament- reveal that under-age children who break the law by buying alcohol illegally are not being held to account. Fewer than a hundred individuals a year are punished for trying to buy alcohol illegally.

In Suffolk, over the past three years, there have been no cautions or penalty notices issued to under-age children for illegally purchasing alcohol.

David said:

'Since 1997 alcohol related deaths in Suffolk have soared by 89 percent. This is a shocking statistic and an issue that demands our attention and action.

'Over the same period Cambridgeshire has seen a 68 percent increase and Norfolk a 78 percent increase in deaths in which alcohol was the primary cause.

'Furthermore, it is clear that there is an increasing problem with under-age drinking in the East of England.

'Under-age drinking harms young people and fuels youth crime and anti-social behaviour across Suffolk. Labour Ministers talk endlessly about cracking down on alcohol-related violence, but these new figures expose the Government's complacency.

'There are already laws and sanctions in place. The Government's failure to enforce the law sends totally the wrong message about under-age drinking and is adding to public concern about yob behaviour and crime. We also need greater social responsibility, and an end to some parents turning a blind eye to their children's drinking. Increasing social responsibility is at the heart of David Cameron's plans to make Britain safer and stronger.'