When Alexandria Hughes sat down to sort through her late sister’s bank statements, she was not prepared for what she found. Zoe Hughes, 35, from Lincoln, had been ordering alcohol online through Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, spending between £1,000 and £1,500 every month. She did this right up until her death in July 2023.

A family member found Zoe at the bottom of her stairs on 24 July 2023. Authorities recorded her death as misadventure. She was 35 years old and the mother of two children.

Alexandria, 31, an NHS cancer navigator, is now calling on the UK Government to either ban the sale of alcohol on delivery apps altogether or introduce urgent, meaningful regulation. Her Change.org petition has already gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

“She Was Drinking Alone and No One Could See It”

Zoe’s relationship with alcohol worsened gradually over several years. What started as casual drinking became severe alcoholism, despite attempts at therapy and rehabilitation. By December 2022 her consumption had escalated sharply. Over the following seven months she reportedly spent thousands ordering alcohol and cigarettes through online delivery services.

Alexandria believes booze delivery services played a direct role in enabling her sister’s addiction during its most dangerous phase.

“As alcoholism worsens, people often become more isolated,” she said. “They leave the house less, their mental health declines, and delivery apps make it possible to continue drinking heavily without ever stepping outside.”

On some days, Zoe ordered up to seven bottles of wine. No alerts triggered. No one intervened.

How Ordering Alcohol Online Left a Vulnerable Woman Exposed

Alexandria also uncovered something deeply troubling on her sister’s phone. Messages suggested delivery drivers used contact details from orders to send Zoe unsolicited texts, gifts and even love notes.

Alexandria called it “a gross violation of her privacy and dignity.” She said it showed how badly booze delivery services can fail vulnerable customers when no proper safeguards exist.

Just Eat said it takes “any reports of misconduct extremely seriously” and confirmed it is “urgently investigating” using the information Alexandria provided.

The Shocking Scale of Alcohol Harm Across the UK

The figures make for sobering reading. According to NHS data, 10,473 people died from alcohol-specific causes in 2023, the highest number on record. In England alone, alcohol contributed to 22,644 deaths, a 21 per cent rise since 2016. Every year, hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions link alcohol as a primary or secondary diagnosis.

Since Zoe’s death, Alexandria has spoken to other families in strikingly similar situations. One mother showed her an email chain where she asked Deliveroo to permanently close her vulnerable daughter’s account. The platform offered only a 30-day suspension, one that would lift automatically or if the daughter herself asked for it to end.

“How is that protection?” Alexandria asked.

Why Ordering Alcohol Online Bypasses the Rules That Govern Pubs

The argument at the heart of Alexandria’s campaign is simple. A pub landlord cannot legally serve someone who is visibly drunk. A licenced off-licence can refuse a sale. Yet booze delivery services can fulfil multiple large orders in a single day to the same address and face no obligation to intervene.

Drivers should conduct sobriety checks before handing over an alcohol order. Alexandria says that never happened in Zoe’s case.

Uber Eats told The Sun: “The safety and wellbeing of our community is our priority. We have an ongoing partnership with Drinkaware to implement further alcohol safety measures. Every alcohol delivery requires the courier to confirm the recipient’s date of birth and conduct a sobriety check.”

The company added that the events took place in 2023 and that it had not received specific account details to investigate.

Deliveroo said customer welfare is “of utmost importance” and that it enforces its suspension or deactivation policy whenever someone flags a safety concern.

No GamStop for Alcohol: The Gap Nobody Is Talking About

The most glaring gap in the current system is the absence of any cross-platform self-exclusion scheme. Gambling platforms must participate in GamStop. This national register lets vulnerable individuals block themselves from every registered gambling site in one step.

Nothing like this exists for ordering alcohol online.

When someone’s account closes due to a concern, they simply open a new one. No daily quantity limits exist. Platforms set no automated flags when ordering patterns suggest dependency. Nobody requires high-volume customers to receive a referral to support services.

Alexandria wants the Government to act on several fronts. She is pushing for a national self-exclusion scheme for alcohol purchases, the ability for families to request permanent account blocks, quantity and spending limits, automated flagging for high-volume orders, and stronger enforcement of sobriety check rules.

“Alcohol Is Not Takeaway Food”

Why does the law treat alcohol the same as a pizza? That is the question Alexandria keeps asking.

Alcohol kills thousands in the UK every year. The regulatory framework around booze delivery services has not kept pace with how fast these platforms have grown or with the harm they cause people already in crisis.

Alexandria has been open about her sister’s wider struggles. Zoe also battled bulimia and anorexia, and addiction rarely exists apart from other mental health conditions. She was a devoted mother who wanted to get better. She deserved more protection than she got.

“Technology has evolved,” Alexandria said. “Regulation has not.”

Her petition for a ban on ordering alcohol online, or for strict new rules, is live on Change.org now.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, help is available. Call Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm) or speak to your GP. Alcoholics Anonymous offers free peer support at aa.org.uk.

Source: dbrecoveryresources