Shops get booze warning

Shops are being urged to check for proof of age.

A campaign against underage drinking is being stepped by trading standards officers in the north-east of England.

Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards staff are warning shopkeepers they will prosecute anyone found selling drinks to under 18s.

The warning follows a successful prosecution by the council last week.

Principal Trading Standards Officer Howard Turton told BBC Radio Cleveland, there was no excuse for shop owners to sell to teenagers.

Spot checks

An off-licence in Normanby was fined a total of £597.04 at Teesside Magistrates on 13 November.

Stephen John Pierson, trading as Booze 4 Us, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Licensing Act of selling alcohol to someone under 18. He was fined £400 plus £197.04 costs.

The prosecution followed an exercise by trading standards officers, using two 16-year-old schoolgirls as volunteers, to check if traders were carrying out checks on proof of age.

A month before the checks in June, officers had written to traders selling alcohol, advising them of their responsibilities and alerting them to test purchases in the near future.

Increased enforcement

Mr Turton said: "Where traders do not take note of the information that's provided, they run the risk of committing these offences and will ultimately face prosecution.

"The legislation has been in force since 1964 and everybody knows it is an offence to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18.

"Since trading standards has taken over enforcement, we are also used to dealing with underage sales of cigarettes, videos and fireworks.

"It may be that increased enforcement might get the message across."