Woman’s heartbreak as sister spent £1,500-a-month on supply app booze earlier than tragic demise

Alexandria Hughes has launched a Change.org petition calling for delivery apps to ban the sale of alcohol after her sister Zoe was found dead in her home in July 2023

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A grieving woman is calling for a ban on alcohol sales via delivery apps following her sister’s tragic death after spending up to £1,500 monthly on home-delivered booze.

Alexandria Hughes, 31, has initiated a Change.org petition demanding safety measures on apps such as Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats to stop vulnerable individuals from obtaining dangerous quantities of alcohol.

Zoe Hughes, 35, from Lincoln, had battled alcoholism for several years as a coping mechanism for personal problems, according to Alexandria.

After Zoe was discovered dead in her home in July 2023, Alexandria was stunned by what she uncovered whilst sorting through her sister’s affairs. She revealed that Zoe had been spending over £1,000 each month on alcohol via doorstep delivery services, unbeknownst to her family.

Alexandria, an NHS cancer navigator, said her sister’s “battle with alcoholism was exacerbated by the easy and unchecked access to alcohol”.

She also found evidence on Zoe’s phone suggesting that delivery drivers had allegedly “misused her contact information taken from the delivery orders to send her unsolicited messages, gifts, and even love notes”.

Heartbroken Alexandria, also from Lincoln, is urging the government to either ban delivery services from selling alcohol or implement stringent monitoring systems and regulations.

Alexandria. said: “Over three to four years, she went from being drink-dependent to a full-blown alcoholic, in between therapies and rehabs.

“Just Eat’s own terms say they shouldn’t hand over alcohol to someone who is drunk, yet they reaped the reward. There’s no process to monitor this. Alcohol is everywhere, but now it can be delivered straight to your door.

“If you’re intoxicated in a pub, you wouldn’t be served – so why are delivery apps allowed to do this?”.

Alexandria says Zoe’s problems started as “a casual drink” before it “spiralled out of control”. By December 2022, Zoe’s drinking had worsened dramatically, she said.

Over the following seven months, she allegedly spent approximately £1,000 to £1,500 a month purchasing alcohol and cigarettes online. Tragically, Zoe was discovered at the bottom of her stairs and her death was recorded as misadventure.

She said Zoe’s phone showed delivery drivers were contacting her with “unsolicited messages” and “exploiting her vulnerabilities”. Alexandria added: “This is a gross violation of her privacy and dignity.”

She said the platforms are convenient but can be a “dangerous tool for those fighting addiction”. Alexandria said the issue is worsened by a shortage of support for addicts.

She said: “I know people begging to go to rehab, but they won’t help them because they can’t get a funded place, so they’re left drinking at home.

“There’s nothing out there to assist them. Gamblers can get their accounts blocked, so why isn’t there an option to declare you’re an alcoholic on these apps, so you don’t get ads or offers?”.

“I mean its not like drug addicts, where you have to find a dealer and meet them. Alcohol is found on the shelves, even in garden centres. It is inescapable to the eye.”

Zoe’s dependency was coupled with additional health battles. Alexandria said: “Addictions often come hand in hand with mental health issues.

“Zoe also had bulimia and anorexia. It’s about controlling your body. People say it’s an escape, but it’s not always that simple.” Despite her battles, Zoe remained a dedicated mum to her two youngsters.

Alexandria added: “I’m biased, but ask anyone around – she was genuinely the kindest parent. Even in the depths of her alcoholism, she would never forget anything – birthdays, heartfelt messages.

“She loved her children with every ounce of her body, and all she ever wanted was to be happy.”

Alexandria hopes her petition will raise awareness and drive genuine reform. She wants the government to enforce a prohibition on doorstep delivery drivers selling alcohol or alternatively, introduce stringent regulations demanding age verification, purchase limits, and “robust monitoring systems to protect those most vulnerable”.

She said: “The petition hasn’t been live long, but I’ve already had over 2,000 people sign it, and I’ve had dozens of messages from people wanting to help. You wouldn’t be able to be served three or four bottles of wine at a pub.

“If you were intoxicated that badly you’d be kicked out. Why is it any different with delivery?”. This needs to happen, people want help, and it’s time someone acted.”

Responding to Alexandria’s comments, an Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear about these tragic events in 2023.

“The safety and wellbeing of our community is our priority and we have an ongoing partnership with Drinkaware to implement further alcohol safety measures, including clear signposting to support resources and the ability to restrict platform access for customers where necessary.

“To help ensure responsible consumption, every alcohol delivery requires the courier to confirm the recipient’s date of birth as per their physical ID and conduct a sobriety check before an order can be completed.”

Uber also clarified that the incidents occurred three years ago, and they have not been provided with details to investigate the account or potential courier behaviour, which they say remains unconfirmed as taking place on their platform.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “The welfare of our customers is of utmost importance to us.

“All retailers selling alcohol on the platform must adhere to the same licensing, marketing and regulatory restrictions to in-store sales, and age verification checks are mandatory.

“Our specialist account suspension or deactivation policy is enforced when we are notified of a customer safety concern.”

A Just Eat spokesperson said: “We take these matters incredibly seriously and have robust processes and policies in play to ensure any alcohol delivered via the platform is done so legally and responsibly.

“Additionally, we can provide extra support by blocking accounts or addresses, and we would urge anyone with specific concerns about a loved-one to get in contact with us via customer service.

“Whilst drivers are independent self-employed contractors we take any reports of misconduct extremely seriously and will ban drivers from working on the platform as is appropriate – we are urgently investigating with the information that has been shared with us.”