My sister was spending £1,000 a month on drink from delivery apps

A woman died after a fall while intoxicated, having spent up to £1,500 a month on alcohol delivered via apps, prompting calls for new restrictions on rapid delivery services [1]. Zoe Hughes, 35, died from injuries sustained in an unwitnessed fall down stairs at her Lincoln home while under the influence of alcohol, a coroner ruled [1]. Her sister, Alex Hughes, said Zoe was spending between £1,000 and £1,500 monthly on alcohol ordered through Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats before her death in 2023 [1]. "All she had to do was go on her phone, click a few buttons and it would be delivered in as quick as 20 minutes," Alex Hughes said [1]. The charity Alcohol Change UK is now calling on the government to introduce more checks for alcohol purchases on delivery apps [1]. Joe Marley, the charity's director, stated, "We have the licensing act. It was created quite a long time ago and it hasn't kept up with the reality on the ground" [1]. Alex Hughes has started a petition calling for a ban or for safeguards like purchase caps and time stops. "There needs to be a cap so you can only order so much in a 24-hour period and also a time stop," she said [1]. The delivery companies say they operate within the law, conduct age and sobriety checks, and have processes to suspend accounts over welfare concerns [1]. A government spokesperson said it is "looking at how licensing rules apply to rapid alcohol delivery services" [1].