Alcohol-related deaths in parts of Sussex have hit record highs – with many areas experiencing a spike since the pandemic.

Deaths in Brighton and Hove and West Sussex were the highest they have ever been in 2022, with more than 200 recorded across the county.

There has been spike nationally in alcohol-related deaths since 2019 and figures have remained high in parts of Sussex.

The most recent figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, show 230 alcohol-related deaths were recorded in Sussex in 2022.

The figure has risen year on year since 2019, when the toll was 170.

In West Sussex, 120 people died from alcohol-related deaths in 2022 and in Brighton, 55 people died.

The Covid-19 pandemic was blamed for the rise in alcohol-related deaths. The figure had been “stable” since 2012.

ONS statistician David Mais said: “Research has suggested that people who were already drinking at high levels before the pandemic were the most likely to have increased their drinking during this period.

"This is likely a factor in the increase in alcohol-specific deaths registrations we have seen in 2022.

“Alcoholic liver disease was the leading cause of these deaths and as with previous years, rates are much higher among men.”