More alcoholics admitted themselves into a rehab in Oxfordshire during the four month peak of the coronavirus crisis, figures reveal.

Data from the UK Addiction Treatment Group show between April 1 and August 1, 87 per cent of all admissions into its Banbury Lodge facility were for alcohol addiction.

In comparison, during the same four months in 2019, they made up 76 per cent.

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Nuno Albuquerque, from UKAT said for some a way of coping with the pandemic was to turn to alcohol, or drink more than before 'in order to feel calm about the unfolding and devastating situation happening'.

He added: “But it’s important to remember that alcohol is a depressant and regular, heavy drinking interferes with chemicals in the brain that are key for good mental health.

"Feeling relaxed after a drink is short-lived, whereas over time, alcohol can have an impact on your mental health and can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety and worse still, it actually makes stressful situations like the Covid-crisis harder to deal with.”