They show that the city has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths in all of Britain.

And, ominously, Frankie Claridge, director of the Tayside Council on Alcohol, warned that they may be only a “conservative estimate” — and the true picture could be even worse.

Nationally, Scots are twice as likely to die from alcohol-related illness than people living elsewhere in Britain.

Dundee East MSP Shona Robison, the SNP spokeswoman on health, said there was an urgent need to combat Scotland’s drinking culture.

“These grim statistics just give further evidence that we have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol in Scotland that needs to be addressed,” she said.

Dundee has the fifth highest rate of alcohol-related deaths for men, with 45 deaths per 100,000 population.

Despite increased warnings about the dangers of alcohol, the situation has actually deteriorated in recent years.

Between 1991 and 1997, Dundee had the 21st highest rate of alcohol related deaths in the UK, and alcohol-related death rate was half what it is now.

The picture is no better for the city’s women, either.

Between 1991 and 1997 Dundee had the 10th highest rate of alcohol related deaths among women — 11.4 out of every 100,000.

That rate has now nearly doubled to 22.2 women out of every 100,000, putting Dundee in second place in the table.

“The figures for women show that the traditional image of it being a male problem has become out of date.

“It is a huge problem for women as well,” Ms Robison said.

The top seven local authority areas for rates of alcohol-related death among men between 1998 and 2004 are all in Scotland.

In fact, only five of the 20 areas with the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths are not in Scotland.

However, alcohol abuse is not just limited to Scotland and is claiming thousands of lives across the UK every year.

In 2004 there were 8221 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, nearly double the 1991 total of 4144.

Ms Claridge said today, “I still think these figures are still a conservative estimate because it is very difficult to get the true picture.

“I think the Scottish Executive are now wakening up and they are realising that this is a huge national problem.

“It has been the second cousin to drugs, as they have always got the headlines. But we cannot ignore these sort of figures.”

Ms Claridge added that new approaches to regulating alcohol sales — such as the alcohol test purchasing scheme announced by the Scottish Executive today — are needed.

“We need to be far more adventurous in how we tackle this, as the current approach has not been working,” she said.

Ms Robison added, “These figures, and I’m particularly concerned about the Dundee figures, show that so many people are dying through alcohol-related illnesses.

“I’m also concerned about binge drinking being done by young people as well, given that renal consultants are beginning to see more and more young people presenting with liver disease due to alcohol.”

Ms Robison said there was no easy way to change Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

“This is a huge problem and there is not one simple answer,” she said.

“Part of it is education and changing the culture of our country and that could take a long time.

“We have to change the next generation’s relationship with alcohol.

“Price is also a difficult issue and that needs to be addressed.

“We also need to look at how supermarkets sell alcohol as a loss leader to bring people through the door, and how they are licensed.

“They should not be selling a bottle of cider cheaper than a bottle of water.”