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Supermarket giant Tesco is calling on the government today to introduce measures that would limit the sale of cheap alcohol.

Its move is driven by concerns about the effect of binge drinking and alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder.

As competition laws prevent supermarkets from agreeing prices with each other, Tesco is urging the government to take the lead on responsible pricing.

The pressure for alcohol-pricing legislation comes ahead of chancellor Alistair Darling's first Budget next month.

Lucy Neville-Rolfe, an executive director at Tesco, told the Daily Telegraph: "We accept that we have a role to play in addressing the problem of anti-social drinking.

"Competition law prevents businesses discussing anything to do with price with each other and imposes severe penalties for breaches.

"The only safe solution is for the government to initiate and lead those discussions and to bring forward legislative proposals which Tesco and others in our industry can support."

She added that the rules would have to apply to all retailers as people looking for cheap alcohol would shop at retailers not covered by legislation.

At the end of last year a report from Alcohol Concern warned that cheap alcohol promotions in supermarkets enabled people to drink dangerous amounts of alcohol.

It claimed that in some of the major supermarkets it is possible to purchase three times the recommended daily limit for adult men and more than four times the limit for adult women for as little as £7.29.