Illegal alcohol sales crackdown

Retailers convicted of selling alcohol to youngsters may be fined £1,000

A crackdown on underage alcohol sales is being undertaken after a rise in complaints about retailers selling youngsters drink.

Trading standards officers in Hampshire have received 65 complaints or tip offs about shops selling alcohol to children since April 2003.

For the whole of the financial year 2002-03, the county council officers received just 38.

This year's complaints resulted in spot checks which saw under-16s served alcohol in 15 shops out of 24 visited - a 62.5% failure rate.

Nationally underage drinking is on the increase, and in Hampshire we are taking a hard line to try and reduce it Council leader Ken Thornber

Across the South East, trading standards services have carried out 269 test purchases in which 118 illegal sales were made - a 43% failure rate.

A number of off-licences in Hampshire have now been warned that complaints have been made against them.

Staff in these shops will be interviewed by officers before further action is taken.

Council leader Ken Thornber said: "The test purchases carried out by trading standards have shown an alarming failure rate.

"I am very concerned by these results and the huge increase in the number of complaints about underage alcohol sales.

"There is no excuse for selling alcohol to under 18-year-olds."