So, for an extra 50 pence, you get an extra litre,” points out Martin, who quit the drinks after they gave him a loss of appetite and made him “moody”. Thames Reach is calling for a new 6% strength ceiling on the alcohol content for canned and bottled super strength lagers and ciders.

Figures compiled by outreach workers say London has 8,108 rough sleepers. Of these, 44% have an alcohol problem, and many consume super- strength drinks. The homeless charity Thames Reach estimates that 98% of its clients drink high-strength ciders and beers. A recent survey of deaths among Thames Reach’s hostel residents found that 10 out of the 16 in the past year were directly attributable to super-strength drinks. The previous year, 11 out of 14 deaths were blamed on the drinks. They are the kind of statistics that, ahead of the budget, have led the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, a group of more than 50 non-governmental organisations, to call for a rise in duty on high-strength ciders as an encouragement to switch to weaker – and cheaper – products. They feel that street drinking schools will no longer congregate when these drinks aren't available. Super strength fears

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In April 2008 InBev UK announced that after careful consideration they would no longer be producing Tennent's Super in 500ml cans - and they will be moving to 440ml in the first quarter of 2008. There's four people in this hostel we're sitting in who are about to die and it's directly because of super strength lager". The World Health Organisation claims that “a large body of literature has found raising the price of alcohol to be effective in reducing harmful use of alcohol among drinkers”. Thames Reach's frontline services say they have considerable evidence of the rapid deterioration in health caused by super strength alcohol. In the Commons an Early Day Motion tabled by Battersea MP Martin Linton is calling on the Government to curb the sale of super strength lagers by taxing them at a higher rate.

Yes, they are also consumed by people with alcohol dependency problems - that does not necessarily mean that they are irresponsibly marketed". Lobbyists say super strength drinks contribute to premature deaths and the phenomenon of 'young-olds' where people exhibit the health problems of people 20-30 years older than their biological age.The main popular super strength lagers at 9%, all brewed by major drinks companies, include Tennent's Super, Carlsberg Special Brew, Skol Super and Kestrel Super. Six years ago, the government increased the duty on super-strength lagers. The consumption of super-strength beer fell by a quarter as a result. But, because of resistance from cider manufacturers, the government did not extend the rise to super-strength ciders.