One drunken family-of-four has cost taxpayers £1million because of their ‘chaotic’ lifestyle

AN alcoholic couple with two children have cost the taxpayer a staggering £1 million because of the burden their 'chaotic' lifestyle puts on public services.

The massive cost has been racked up through hundreds of call-outs related to the parents' drunken behaviour including falling over, domestic disputes and accidentally starting fires.

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The huge bill is the highest ever for a single family, with an enormous workload generated for 25 separate agencies including police, NHS, firefighters and social services.

The cost of dealing with the unnamed family of four from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was uncovered in an inquiry by an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) into the impact of alcohol abuse on the emergency services.

Its report said alcohol abuse costs the NHS £3.5 billion a year, plus £131 million annually for the fire service.
The inquiry heard that police were regularly called to the home of the Stoke-on-Trent family because of complaints about their domestic disputes.

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The fire service and paramedics were also called out on numerous occasions when the parents accidentally started fires or fell over after drinking.

Their two young sons, aged between eight and ten, rarely attend school and receive the attention of local education officers and social services.

MPs are now set to publish the report on their findings, which also reveals the physical and sexual abuse faced by frontline emergency staff from drunken individuals, often on a daily basis.

One A&E consultant told the inquiry: "I have been kicked in the face by a drunk."

MP Fiona Bruce, who chaired the inquiry, said: "This shocking report reveals the highly damaging impact which excessive drinking in our society today has on the lives of the selfless men and women who serve the public at the front line of our emergency services.

"And it’s not just the service personnel who suffer, we all do – from the taxpayers who foot the unnecessary billion-pound annual bills to patients who can’t be seen promptly at A&E."

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