A MAP highlighting the areas of East Lothian with the highest number of places selling alcohol has been produced as part of a study into the link between the number of outlets and alcohol-related harm and crime.

The study by Alcohol Focus Scotland, alongside the Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, flagged up hotspots in Musselburgh, Haddington and North Berwick.

But while Musselburgh’s research showed a high number of off-sales operating in the town, in North Berwick the map was red because of the number of licensed premises such as restaurants and pubs.

A report presented to East Lothian Licensing Board as a tool to help it set its policy placed East Lothian as 18th out of 30 local authorities for alcohol availability, but that figure rose to 13th out of 30 for number of on-sales and fell to 21st out of 30 for number of off-sales.

It also found that alcohol-related death rates were four times higher in neighbourhoods with the most outlets when compared to areas with the fewest in the county and crime rates were also two-and-a-half-times higher.

However, it also revealed that, in general, the county performed far better than Scotland’s national average when it came to alcohol-related health harm and crime. The average crime rate in East Lothian is 218.7 per 10,000 population, 34 per cent lower than the Scottish average of 331.2 per 10,000 population.

The number of alcohol-related deaths in East Lothian each year involving people over the age of 20 was estimated at 14.8, 33 per cent lower than the Scottish average of 21.8 deaths per 100,000 population.

And the percentage of people being admitted to hospital through drink-related incidences was also 33 per cent lower than the national average.