THE BBC has splurged almost £10,000 on alcohol this year – including on expensive wine for boozy bashes and awards ceremonies, we can reveal.
Corporation staff spent £9,194 on high-end wine, beer, cider and spirits between January and April to treat themselves and celebrity guests at your expense.
An eye-watering £6,745 was spent on wine, while beer and cider cost taxpayers £2,380.
One of the most expensive bottles, Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2003, retails at £32.
In 2010 it was named the best sparkling wine in the world following a prestigious blind taste test.
Another pricey bottle, Viñalba Gran Reserva Malbec 2011, has also received several accolades.
The shocking figures obtained via Freedom of Information laws, will heap more pressure on the BBC after a series of claims that public money is being wasted.
Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “The BBC is a national and high-profile organisation so you’d expect some alcohol spending, but this is a significant bill nonetheless.
“Licence fee payers will want bosses to ensure that not a penny is squandered, and that might mean the end of £32 bottles of wine.”
Last week we revealed that taxpayers are forking out millions of pounds on private health insurance for corporation executives.
In March the BBC came under fire for spending £700,000 refurbishing its flagship Welsh headquarters, even though it is due to be demolished.
And in April we reported the broadcaster spent nearly £200,00 a week on hotel rooms last year – the most in five years.
A BBC spokesman defended the figures, saying: “The BBC has clear policies that drinks may only be purchased where there is an appropriate business purpose such as production hospitality for guests and costs have come down by more than a third compared to this time last year.”
He insisted that the broadcaster’s expenses policy has been “progressively tightened” to ensure value for money for license fee payers.