14 off-licences fail checks

1:02pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

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Fourteen off-licences sold underage drinkers alcohol during a two-week crackdown -despite being warned they were being watched.

The Oxfordshire safer communities partnership checked 109 off-licences across the county and 14 failed to ask for ID and sold alcohol to children in spot-checks.

Oxford saw the highest number of failures with six out of 20 breaking the law.

Outlets in West Oxfordshire performed the best, with all 22 licensed premises targeted passing the test.

Just two out of 27 came up short in South Oxfordshire and four outlets out of 18 failed test purchases in the Vale of White Horse.

In Cherwell, two out of 22 targeted premises failed.

Staff at some premises were issued with £80 fixed penalty notices.

At others, concerns over management and training systems designed to prevent underage sales are due to be investigated further.

Every off-licence across Oxfordshire was warned about the operation last month, but were not told the exact dates on which to expect a visit.

Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety Judith Heathcoat said: "This was a highly publicised campaign and given the information provided to retailers, there can be no excuse for having failed the test purchases.

"While we are pleased that a large number of premises asked for ID as they should, the results show there is still plenty of work to be done to prevent alcohol getting into the hands of children.

"We will continue our campaign work and further test purchase exercises to ensure that one way or another, traders get the message that under age sales will not be tolerated."