Call for UV drink marking scheme

Ms Baker said the technology was available to mark the bottles

A national bottle marking scheme to clamp down on underage drinking has been put forward by Scottish Labour.

Claire Baker MSP said ultraviolet marking would allow drink found in the possession of youngsters to be traced to the shop where it was purchased.

Fife Constabulary is currently piloting a UV marking initiative.

Ms Baker, the MSP for Mid Scotland and East Fife, has written to the public safety minister, calling for the scheme to be rolled out across the country.

Ms Baker told the minister, Fergus Ewing MSP, that the scheme would target both shopkeepers and adults who supplied alcohol to people under the age of 18.

I don't want to demonise all young people at all but there are a minority who are making life miserable for everyone else Claire Baker MSP

"Many parts of Scotland are having real problems with youth disorder and anti-social behaviour and much of it is being fuelled by alcohol," she said.

"We must do more to cut off the supply of alcohol to those under 18.

"Many police forces are doing a great deal of really good work to tackle underage drinking, including Fife Constabulary in my own area which is piloting a UV marking scheme, and I think the Scottish Government should be doing more to aid their efforts."

A total of 26 licensed retailers in Edinburgh also participated in a similar bottle marking pilot just over a year ago.

Ms Baker said the introduction of such a scheme across the country would show that the Scottish Government was "serious" about clamping down on underage drinking.

"I don't want to demonise all young people at all but there are a minority in certain parts of Scotland that are making life miserable for everyone else," she added.