'We have been stocking up!' Border supermarkets buy in extra drink as they prepare for Scots to flock south on booze cruises after it becomes the first country in the world to impose minimum price on alcohol

Scotland has increased the minimum price per unit of alcohol to 50p today 

Shops in Berwick in England have stocked up anticipating surge of demand 

Critics said bootleggers could take advantage by selling knock-off alcohol

Cost of cheap vodka and cider has soared but bottles of buckfast stays same

Scotland has today introduced a minimum price for alcohol - sparking warnings that Scots will flock south of the border on 'booze cruises' to save money.

Supermarkets just over the border in Berwick-upon-Tweed have stocked up on extra alcohol in anticipation of a surge in demand.

The price of spirits, beer and cider have been hiked to 50p per unit in a bid to tackle the health crisis afflicting the country.

Scotland is the first country in the world to adopt the drastic measure, which will push up the price of the cheapest 2 litre bottle of cider from £1.99 to £5.

But the cost of Buckfast, a fruity fortified wine which became synonymous with loutish behaviour in Scotland, will stay the same at £5.63, as this is already more expensive than the minimum unit price.

England is not increasing its alcohol prices - and big supermarkets have increased their booze orders in anticipation of a surge in demand from Scots crossing the border to take advantage of the lower prices. 

Steven Atkinson, the manager of Morrison's in Berwick-upon-Tweed, told Mail Online:  'We have increased our order of big packs of lager - we have bought an extra 240 packs.'

The price of bottles of cheap beer, whisky and cans have increased in Scotland  - but the nation's favourite tipple, Buckfast, has stayed the same price . Mail Online has looked at the price of Aldi's cheap cider, whisky, vodka and lager, and Asda's red wine, to see how prices are rising

Shops like this one in Glasgow were busy changing their price tags this morning as the prices shot up overnight after the new law came in at midnight

The price of Glens Vodka has shot up at GG Brother liquor store in Glasgow following the introduction of the new law

Bargain Booze, in Berwick-upon-Tweed near the Scottish border, could also see an influx of new shoppers from Scotland eager to avoid the higher alcohol charges north of the border

Majestic Wine, just over the border in Berwick in England (pictured) could see a surge in demand from shoppers because it is so close to the Scottish border

Mr Atkinson said he is braced for a big surge in demand when the hot weather kicks in and drinkers wants to stock up on beer for barbecues.

He said: 'A lot of Scots came in at the weekend and asked us if our prices were going to go up too  - just to check.

What has happened to the price of alcohol in Scotland?

Scotland has increased the minimum price of alcohol to 50p per unit - making it the most expensive country in the UK to buy booze in.

This is what has happened to the price of some of the country's favourite tipples:

Cider (2 litre bottle, Aldi Taurus), Was £1.99 Now: £5

Whisky (70cl bottle, Aldi, Craig & Crag): Was £10 Now £14

Vodka (70cl bottle, Aldi Tamova): Was: £9.99 Now: £13.13

Red Wine (Asda rich & ripe) Was: £3.19 Now: £4.88 

Beer (12 cans Aldi lager) Was: £6.29 Now: £10.82 

Buckfast: Remains £5.63 (above the minimum)

Source: BBC 

'It is too early to say yet what effect it will have - but we think it will have some effect. We think it will have a big effect at Christmas and on hot days. It is being monitored by head office.

He said there has been some talk that Berwick-upon-Tweed could be the new Calais - the traditional booze cruise destination in France but 'we will have to wait and see'. 

Meanwhile critics have also warned that bootleggers could try to take advantage of the law by selling their illegal - and potentially dangerous - alcohol.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Conservative MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed, an English town near the Sottish border, said the country may see a new booze cruise route.

She told Mail Online: 'It may be that this new Scottish pricing policy encourages entrepreneurial activity in Berwick to offer alcohol with a price differential from across the Border. 

'I remember the booze cruise activity to Calais in France years ago by UK residents, and we may well see this happen at the Border at Berwick.'

The House of Malt in Carlisle is hoping to cash in on the change by expanding its lower range whiskys and laying on offers in its shops, which are near the Scottish border. 

Store manager Mike Little told The Telegraph he hopes the minimum pricing rule will boost his business.

One Twitter user mocked up a photograph of Theresa May and joked that she would not be making any more visits to Scotland after the price hike

He said: 'I hope so - a lot of the products we have are top end so the alcohol minimum prices won't affect those.

'However, we are heavily expanding our lower-end line, and hoping that those who live in the borders will come and buy from us, and we are running promotions for those who live in Scotland and are coming to visit our store.'

Rise of the middle class drinkers: Doctors, lawyers and teachers are more likely to drink 

The scale of middle class drinking was laid bare today with figures showing doctors, lawyers and teachers are more likely to indulge than manual workers.

Nearly 70 per cent of people with managerial and professional jobs had consumed alcohol over the past week, according to a major survey.

By contrast the figure for routine and manual workers was just 51 per cent.

The highest earners in the UK are also the most likely to drink, the findings of the ONS Opinions And Lifestyle Survey show. 

Of those earning £40,000 and above, some 79 per cent said they had drunk alcohol in the previous week, compared with 57 per cent of those aged 16 and over across the UK.

The figures emerged as Scotland became the first country in the world to implement a minimum unit price for alcohol. 

Mike Beale, Chief Executive Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), said: 'The Scottish Government's policy will increase the price of around half of the alcohol on supermarket shelves and will impact most drinkers, particularly those on lowest incomes.

'The WSTA's long held view is that MUP (minimum pricing unit) is likely to be ineffective in changing the behavior of problem drinkers. 

'There are also serious questions about the potential impact on cross border trade and illicit alcohol.

'It is vital therefore that the impact of on businesses and on consumers of the MUP experiment in Scotland is rigorously and objectively monitored and evaluated over time.'

Christopher Snowdon, the director of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, told The Daily Telegraph: 'I would say that Scots will be hopping across the border to buy alcohol that is, in some cases, less than half price.

'As with booze cruises to France, some will be doing it legally for their own consumption and others will be doing it to sell illegally in Scotland.

'A large and legal online business is likely to emerge to satisfy demand and there is nothing the SNP can do about it.

'This is their fo

lly and they will have to live with the consequences.

'For those who live a long way from the English border, we may see a growth in home brewing and home distilling. 

'A rise in drug use is also on the cards as people use substances such as Spice as a substitute for cheap alcohol.'       

Another Twitter user joked that Scotland would come to regret their decision when consumers flocked across the border to England to stock up

Another drinker suggested the picturesque English town of Berwick, near the Scottish border, will be swamped by Scots on booze cruises 

Another Twitter user anticipated that the policy will fuel a new generation of off licences popping up along the border 

Yesterday, many shops reported selling out of heavily discounted ciders and cheap own-label spirits as they ditched surplus stock before the higher prices came into force.

How is the minimum alcohol charge worked out? 

The minimum alcohol charge has been set at 50p a unit.

This means that a standard bottle of win, which has 10 units, will cost £5.

The cheapest bottles of alcohol - like cider or non-branded vodka - have seen some of the highest increases in their prices.

But other more expensive bottles of alcohol are unlikely yo see any change in price, as they are already priced above to 50p per unit.

Research by the University of Sheffield, published in April 2016, estimated that the proposed minimum price of 50p per unit would result in 120 fewer alcohol-related deaths every year. 

And hospital admissions would fall by 2,000 per year by year twenty of the policy.    

At Morrisons in Giffnock, Renfrewshire, gin and Bacardi were on sale for £10 and Baileys for £8.

Lorraine Matthews, 54, from Mansewood, Glasgow, snapped up a bottle of Glenallachie malt whisky for only £12. She said: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing in the store.

'A couple in front of me at the checkout spent over £300 on booze. They had vodka, Baileys, gin, everything.'

Customer Emrys Inker, 65, from Burnside, Lanarkshire, said: 'We have neighbours who plan to drive to Carlisle to stock up on drink. It's along the same lines as the 'booze cruises' where you took the boat to France.'

Scotland has among the worst health outcomes of all of the UK.

Ministers say they have imposed the measure to tackle poor health and alcoholism.

Research by the University of Sheffield, published in April 2016, estimated that the proposed minimum price of 50p per unit would result in 120 fewer alcohol-related deaths every year. 

And hospital admissions would fall by 2,000 per year by year twenty of the policy.     

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon praised her country for being 'bold enough and brave enough' to take the step.

She said: 'All of the evidence says that minimum unit pricing will reduce deaths from alcohol-related illnesses, reduce hospital admissions and generally reduce the damage that alcohol misuse does to our society. 

Scottish members of Parliament approved minimum pricing in 2012, but it was delayed for six years by legal challenges from the Scotch Whisky Association, which argued the move unfairly hit responsible drinkers on low incomes

Britain's Supreme Court finally rejected the distillers' challenge last year.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured today visiting the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to launch the alcohol policy) says the higher prices will hep crack down on alcohol abuse and saves lives