Underage sale shocker for pubs

A Home Office report has found 93% of 10 to 15-year-olds surveyed said they had been able to buy alcohol in pubs.

However, it is not clear what steps, if any, were taken to prove the youngsters' claims.

The Offending, Crime and Justice Survey, which has been carried out every year since 2003, looks at the extent of offending, anti-social behaviour and drug use, particularly among young people aged from 10 to 25.

The study looked at 5,205 youngsters across England and Wales.

It also follows the same people each year to see how their life develops.

Figures released this week show Britain's pubs and clubs in a bad light with 93% of the 10 to 15-year-olds involved in the survey claiming to have been served alcohol.

Only 2% of 16 and 17-year-olds said they had been refused.

The survey also found more than half the youngsters had drunk in the past year — but 48 per cent of them got it from their parents.

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker vowed tough action.

He said: "Selling alcohol to minors will not be tolerated."​

A spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association said it would be just as dangerous to take the figures at face value as it would to ignore them.

"It is important to appreciate that when teenagers say they have made certain alcohol purchases, it does not necessarily mean that this is always the case,"​ he said.

"It may also reveal that a lot of alcohol consumed is done with the consent of parents. ​

"At the same time, we recognise that it is critical for the industry to improve its performance in not selling to alcohol to those under 18.

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Your Comments​Robert Feal-Martinez​ via email 06/06/2006"Does the Home Office not realise it would not be 'cool' to admit a) You do not drink and b) Even if you do that you have been refused service. Lets face we have all been young once. How many of us really lost our virginity at 12, 13, 14, or even 15. Very very few I would suspect. As someone who has a diploma in Child Psychology and was a member of the Institute for the Study and Treatment of Delinquency, and having worked as a policeman with young adults, I would put money on it that this so called survey is without any foundation in truth. But rest assured like everything this Government does in relation to our Industry we will get hammered again. I have said it before but it is worth repeating, the Government has one agenda in peoples leisure lives and that is 'CONTROL'. Underage serving is of course wrong but so is making up statistics to prove your own agenda. HMG do it constantly why should we believe these.

Peter Eveleigh​ via email 06/06/2006"Last month an acquaintance wrote an article for a daily bradsheet challenging the Government in general and the Health Service in particular to reveal how much of the "tax payer's billions" had been spent on (external) surveys, reports, or other QUANGO driven paper exercises, and what "value for money" they may have been.

ANSWER: No Response (Dont know)

VFM?: Well, just look at the mess that the over sized NHS management - to say nothing of the latest IT disaster has COST - ANSWER - NIL, Sorry-WRONG - they have cost us more billions.

ACCURACY ? If there's one thing we've learned from this lot it is the consummate spin with which they "situate the appreciation" to produce findings in line with their insatiable appetite to increase control/and eliminate common sense.

Here's a reality check for you: the equivilent of 8,500,000,000 cigarette's worth of NO (nitrous Oxide) drop on Glasgow from aircraft every day - FACT.

Good letter Bob

Ken Nason​ via email 07/06/2006"This result must stand with as much credability as a dictators election results where 100% of the electorate voted for him in a 100% turnout.

Just exposes the arrogance of a government that thinks it is right in everything it does. It doesn't even check the credability of information it displays in support and justification of its actions any more as it feels everyone believes its propoganda as much as it does.

Incredible!

Oh! and by the way how many of these "underaged" were prossecuted for their admission of breaking the law?

Sandra Fitschen​ via email 12/06/2006"Once again the Pub trade is hit with the underage drink problem. Does anyone do the same survey for the supermarket trade. I agree some 16-17 year olds slip the net and get served but today these "children" look more like 20-25 than the 20-25`s do making it very difficult for the staff. But I think 10-14 year olds, thats just beggers belief. I think they just said they were served for bravardo.

The supermarkets are ones that need a bit more media attention as the drunken under 18`s usually get their alchohol from them to give them the courage to enter the Pub in the first place.

I dont` remember many articals written by the Daily Mail giving them the bad press they have given the Pub trade.

Come on "the media" start helping the Pub trade in stead of stabbing us at every turn."