As a direct descendant of Ipswich Town fans, Daily Bread feels a certain degree of affection for the sleepy Suffolk town. It’s probably genetic.

True, Ipswich isn’t the most glamorous place in the world - or even in East Anglia. Its football club toils at the foot of the Championship; the days when Portman Road saw Premier League football feel a long time ago.

While the town itself is hardly synonymous with cutting-edge innovation, it’s currently pioneering a new scheme that could set something of a precedent for more fashionable towns around the UK. It could also give a further hit to drinks companies already fighting falling beer volumes.

Local retailers have joined up to exile the sale of super-strength beer and cider in the town, ‘super-strength’ meaning anything over 6.5%. Tesco and East of England Co-op are among the retailers taking part, along with Martin McColl and a host of independent stores.

Suggested by local police, the scheme is voluntary. But campaigners - who say they feel threatened by problem drinkers overdoing it in the street - are urging retailers to make changes to their licenses, tying them into the commitment for good.

For its part, Carlsberg - whose Special Brew brand is synonymous with strong lager - is persevering with a line that’s recently gained little traction with legislators in Westminster.

“We believe the effective solution [to problem drinking] is about education and information as opposed to restricting choice of one particular type of alcohol,” a spokesperson said. “We are significant contributors to Drinkaware. We also ensure all of our products clearly display the number of units and that consumer information is displayed to allow consumers to make an informed choice.”

While Suffolk police have spoken ambitiously about the plan becoming a blueprint for tackling problem drinking across the UK, in fact only 53 of 130 independents off-licences in the town have signed up to date. That suggests there’s still a role for “informed choice” after all

Topics