Raising the bar on illegal booze sales

SEVERE penalties are in place for Oldham publicans and traders caught selling alcohol to under-18s, the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) has warned.

Licensed premises caught selling alcohol to under-age customers could face a £5,000 fine and have their licence suspended or revoked.

The news comes after a national survey of 70 local authorities, including Oldham, revealed many supermarkets, off-licences and pubs were illegally selling alcohol to youngsters.

Trading standards officers carrying out test purchasing orders found 34 per cent of pubs sold alcohol to the volunteers without querying their age.

Some 16 per cent of off-licenses and 12 per cent of supermarkets sold alcohol to youngsters taking part in the investigation.

Oldham’s Trading standards chief Tony Allen said: “It is a significant issue in Oldham as young people getting alcohol are hanging around and causing anti-social behaviour.”

There were 184 attempted test purchases and 27 actual under-age sales in Oldham from April, 2007, to March, 2008.

“Test purchasing sends a clear message to traders,” added Mr Allen.

Highest failure rates were found in Blackpool and Bedfordshire, while Cardiff and the London borough of Newham had the lowest test purchasing failure rate.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: “We will redouble our efforts to tackle irresponsible retailers, alongside giving police and local authorities all the powers they need to intervene and to provide parental support to keep youngsters on the right track.”

Brandon Cook, TSI’s lead officer for age restricted sales, said figures were still too high.

He added: “The bottom line has to be — no ID, no sale.”