A new opinion poll has highlighted the extent to which members of the public would like to see a stricter alcohol limit brought into effect across England and Wales.

Figures compiled by road safety charity Brake have shown how almost four-fifths (77 per cent) of Britons would support a reduction in the legal alcohol limit for all road users.

Overall, England and Wales continue to have one of the most lenient limits for drink-driving in the world, this is despite the fact that every year there are more than 8,000 casualties and around 240 deaths on the roads that can be directly linked to alcohol consumption.

At the same time, 60 per cent of those involved in alcohol-related incidents are people other than the driver, such as passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. This highlights the significant blight on safety for all that alcohol represents.

Brake director of communications and campaigns Gary Rae said: "Drink-driving remains one of the biggest causes of devastating road crashes; often young and inexperienced drivers and passengers are involved and frequently they are the tragic victims.

"We must continue to send a clear message to all drivers that drinking and driving is a lethal cocktail."

The organisation is therefore now calling for the legal alcohol limit in England and Wales to be reduced and brought in line with Scotland, which operates a lower limit for all road users.

Introduced in December 2014, this lower limit has already been attributed with a ten per cent reduction in alcohol-related incidents on the nation's roads.