Under-age drink sting snares pubs and clubs

More than half the pubs and clubs targeted in a police sting operation on under-age drinking sold alcohol to under-18s.

More than half the pubs and clubs targeted in a police sting operation on under-age drinking sold alcohol to under-18s.

A total of 51% of licensed premises and 29% of shops were caught out in the first month of the eight-week crackdown, the Home Office will reveal later today.

Volunteers aged 13 or 14 were used to target pubs and off-licences believed to be serving under-age customers. They were asked to attempt to buy beer or alcopops.

The youths were told not to lie about their age if quizzed and to leave the premises immediately if they failed to be served.

The unprecedented Government and police joint campaign against binge drinking and alcohol-related violence, launched on July 8, is operating in 77 police areas across England and Wales.

The latest statistics covering the first month of the initiative will be unveiled by the Government this morning.

Home Secretary David Blunkett has said he aims to tackle unruly binge drinkers who make some town and city centres "no-go areas" on weekend nights.

As well as prosecuting licensees who sell alcohol to youngsters, the initiative has also threatened to take licences away from pubs and bars if their customers later get into trouble with the police.

Rowdy premises can be closed for 24 hours under new police powers, with irresponsible pubs and clubs named and shamed.

Drunken louts will also be handed £40 on-the-spot fines.

The first two weekends of the alcohol enforcement campaign saw nearly 700 people handed on-the-spot fines.

According to Home Office figures, alcohol is the root cause of 44% of violent crime and 70% of weekend night admissions to casualty.

Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost Britain about £20 billion a year through crime, injuries and lost productivity at work.