A GROUP of doctors has called on the Government to take action over people drinking at home.

The think-tank of medics has decided that we need to be discouraged from indulging in the dangerous habit of unwinding with a goldfish bowl measure of red after a hard day's graft.

It has also come to light that some people are apparently drinking two - or even knocking back a shocking three glasses - during an evening of unfettered debauchery.

Obviously, such hedonists should be working instead of worshipping at the feet of Bacchus - nevertheless, such slacking is not the doctors' main concern. They say they're worried about the liver damage that may be caused by exceeding the recommended number of daily units of alcohol.

The doctors therefore want the Government to make drink even more expensive so that people are steered well clear of too much enjoyment.

Sadly, I have my doubts whether Whitehall will be very interested in such a commendable notion.

Our politicians will hardly jump at the chance to further tax people until their eyeballs explode, will they? After all, this has never happened before - so I hardly think that our country's rulers are going to start now.

On a slightly more serious note, now that smoking has been criminalised, I suppose the next target was always going to be drink. Such pursuits quite clearly get in the way of earning money to pay taxes, so something had to be done.

Actually, if Whitehall does stage a crackdown on the home consumption menace, then this might provide a window of opportunity for Britain's boys in blue when they get back to beat policing.

The defendant John Phillpott is charged with being in possession, on April 1, 2007, of a bucket of Chilean Merlot and asks that three million other glasses to be taken into consideration