- Preston: Police claim they seized enough booze from teenagers to lay on two weddings. Disturbingly, much of the alcohol was confiscated from children as young as 12. Police said underage drinking was a "grave problem" in parts of the city, with some youngsters opening cans and bottles as early as 4pm after finishing school. Officers blamed parents, not shopkeepers, for supplying the booze. Insp Jon Ainsworth said:
"As a parent myself I am appalled. Off-licence sales are tighter than they have ever been so we know some youngsters are getting the booze from their own parents.
"Alternatively they are asking adults going into shops to make purchases for them. It is a real problem but parents are turning a blind eye.
"I am asking for public's help in identifying where the alcohol comes from and to phone up and report underage drinkers on the streets." Lancashire Evening Post
- DRINKERS as young as nine are being offered free iPods in the latest battle to curb Glasgow's binge drinking culture. A pioneering East End project has launched a website warning them about the dangers of alcohol abuse. The new site, which will be used in schools across the city, allows young people to play games after they have correctly answered alcohol-related questions. Bosses at the award-winning Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness project hope the new site - youngboozebusters.com - will help widen access to information for young people aged nine to 17. Evening Times
- POLICE in Newbury have underlined the problem of underage drinking by revealing some of the alcohol they confiscated from Under-18s over the summer holidays. The haul was taken from illegal drinkers by police and community support officers as part of Operation Footprint, which was designed to combat an in-crease in criminal damage and unruly behaviour in the town. Police believe children take the alcohol from home or obtain it from off-licences and then gather in groups in public places to drink it, creating disorder “hot-spots.” Chairman of the West Berkshire alcohol action group, Insp Rodger Cartwright, said:
“This is a staggering amount of alcohol confiscated and gives an indication of the scale of the problem.
“My message to parents and guardians; please promote in your children a sensible approach to alcohol. Parents should check their children’s bags for hidden booze before they go out in the evenings." Newbury Today
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