The recent finding that people between 60 and 65 are drinking more than they should, earning them the rather unfair soubriquet "Saga louts", is nothing more than a storm in a pint glass - The Times
Teenage drug and alcohol abuse was a major cause of family breakdown, said the charity Addaction. A survey found that more than half of families with a child receiving treatment for addiction had been affected. One in five children aged between 14 and 15 were drinking seven or more units of alcohol a week - The Times
Complaints about antisocial noise have doubled in some parts of the UK, according to a survey by The Times. Record numbers of complaints about noise from pubs and clubs have increased thanks to 24-hour licensing; with industry, building sites, traffic, car alarms and stereos also blamed for noise pollution- The Times
Almost a third of the UK's 700 biggest businesses paid no corporation tax in the 2005-06 financial year while another 30 per cent paid less than £10m each, an official study has found. Of the tax paid by these 700 businesses, two-thirds came from just three industries - banking, insurance and oil and gas - while the alcohol, tobacco, car and real estate sectors contributed only a few hundred million pounds - Financial Times
Punch Taverns was the top riser on the market, up 1.2 per cent to £10.60 after analysts at JP Morgan said shares in the pub operator had been "oversold" and dismissed worries about weak summer trading. "We remain confident of the long-term trends in the pub sector," the bank said - Financial Times
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the chef's flagship establishment in Chelsea, retains its accolade as the best restaurant in London for gastronomic experience. But for the first time since 2000 it has failed to top Harden's categories for highest food rating and highest overall ranking, combining food, ambience and service - Financial Times
The drinks group Diageo releases interim results on Thursday. There have been hints that it may launch a bid for the remaining 66 per cent stake it does not already own in the French champagne and fashion house LVMH - The Independent
El Bulli's chef, Ferran Adria, has distilled his secrets into a new range of ingredients. The Spanish restaurant is regularly voted the world's best. The range, which was cooked up in the El Bulli laboratory in Barcelona, is initially on sale to the catering trade - The Independent
A key government drive to cut drinking among young people is being undermined by lenient advertising rules which expose hundreds of thousands of children daily to TV adverts for beer, wine and sprits, a new report warns today - The Guardian
The price of meat and dairy products is likely to increase significantly this autumn, according to analysts and industry bodies. Consultancy group Deloitte warned this morning that Britain's farmers are under pressure to raise the cost of meat - The Guardian