A LORD has described Brighton and Hove as a city “plagued by drunkenness”.

Clive Brooke, Baron Brooke of Alverthorpe, West Yorkshire, said the city was full of drug and alcohol problems. Lord Brooke, who has a residence in Brighton, said the city’s accident and emergency rooms spend the weekends overwhelmed due to the amount of drinkers.

He made the comments while discussing Duncan Selbie, the Government’s chief executive officer for Public Health England, during the third day of the House of Lords Queen’s Speech debates.

Lord Brooke said: “Mr Selbie was formerly the chief medical officer for Brighton and Hove, a city much plagued at weekends by drunkenness.

“Its major hospital’s A&E department can be inundated and sometimes almost overwhelmed from Thursdays to Sundays by people suffering from alcohol or substance misuse.

“Therefore, he knows from personal experience what he is talking about.”

Brighton and Hove City Council have disregarded the claims – saying council initiatives are tackling drug and drink related issues.

Tom Scanlon, director of public health at the council, said: “In Brighton and Hove we have had high alcohol and substance misuse related health problems for many years, affecting not just young people, but all generations.”

He added: “For the last two years we have seen a fall in alcohol related hospital admissions, and a drop in alcohol use by teenagers.

“This is good news for the city and encouraging for all of us engaged in what is a difficult area – a key part of our local economy and a significant public health challenge.

“On top of this in recent years the numbers of drug related deaths has fallen which helped the city relinquish the unwanted title of drugs death capital of the UK. At the same time drug users are turning their lives around through support provided across the city.”