Yes, you can buy alcohol on Sunday in the UK, but hours are restricted compared to weekdays. In England and Wales, large supermarkets sell alcohol only between 10 am and 4 pm or 11 am and 5 pm (for a 6-hour period). Small convenience stores can sell it all day, while in Scotland, alcohol is sold from 10 am to 10 pm.
What time can you buy alcohol on Sunday in the UK?
Sunday trading laws apply to large shops (over 280 square metres), restricting them to open for just six consecutive hours between 10 am and 6 pm, which limits when alcohol can be sold. So, can you buy alcohol in the morning? Yes, if the business is licensed for it.
The majority of Tesco Superstores and Tesco Extra stores are licensed to sell alcohol 24 hours, however, in some parts of the country there are Tesco supermarkets that aren't licensed to sell alcohol around the clock.
Online sales of alcohol in the UK are governed by the same rules as face-to-face sales of alcohol, the basic rule being that you cannot sell alcohol to any person under the age of 18. This means that an age verification check should be done at some stage within the sale and/or delivery process.
On Sundays, large shops may open for no more than 6 continual hours between the period 10am and 6pm. All large shops must close on Easter Sunday. Under the Christmas Day (Trading Act) 2004 all large shops must close on Christmas Day on whatever day of the week it falls.
Dear England: Your canned cocktails are… dangerous
Why are Sunday trading laws still a thing?
The government says there are no plans to change the law. Sunday Trading regulations date back to the Sunday Fares Act of 1488, when the last day of the week was traditionally a religious day of rest.
Heavy drinking includes binge drinking and has been defined for women as 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more per week, and for men as 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week.
This means that in England and Wales you can purchase alcohol as soon as shops open in the morning, and all through the night if the shop is 24-hour. The only restriction is on Sundays, when alcohol cannot be sold until 10am.
Driving Licence (provisional or full, UK or international as long as it hasn't expired) CitizenCard. ISIC Card (must be the official ID version, not just the app) PASS-accredited ID cards such as TOTUM ID Card, can't be a student discount card of digital version)
In the UK, a 14-year-old cannot legally drink alcohol in a pub, even with parents, though they might be allowed in certain pubs with a "children's certificate" if accompanied by an adult, but they cannot consume alcohol there; it's illegal to buy or be given alcohol under 16, and while 16-17 year olds can drink beer, wine, or cider with a meal with an adult, the rules for under-16s in pubs are strict and vary by venue, with most pubs prohibiting under-16s from drinking anything.
A Tesco spokesperson confirmed to the Express that while the discount is generally applied around 7pm, it can vary by store, adding: "Markdowns on fresh products continue to be popular and help to prevent good food from going to waste."
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a moderation guideline: no more than 1 drink per hour, 2 drinks per occasion, and 3 alcohol-free days per week, helping to pace consumption and reduce risk, though it's important to know that no level of alcohol is completely risk-free, and other guidelines (like the 0-1-2-3 rule or official dietary recommendations) also exist. A "standard drink" is key: 12 oz regular beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.5 oz spirits, and it's crucial to avoid mixing alcohol with medications or while driving.
Myth 3: Drinking hard liquor is worse than drinking beer or wine. Contrary to popular belief, the type of alcohol you drink doesn't make a difference – what matters is how much you drink. "The safe limit is fixed at 14 units a week," explains Dr Lui. "Below this limit, alcoholic fatty liver is less likely to occur.
Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity. The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person's sex. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week.
