News
Bar selling alcohol underage
Dated: 14 May 2012
Police are keeping the pressure on bars who sell alcohol to under 18s.
Officers from Sunderland Central Neighbourhood Policing Team joined forces with the Council's Trading Standards officers and carried out a test purchase operation using three young volunteers, aged 15 and 16.
They visited 11 pubs and bars recently and one was found to sell alcohol to an underage girl volunteer, without asking for proof of age. The youngster was allowed to buy three bottles of beer and the member of bar staff was issued with an £80 fixed penalty notice by officers. The other ten visited all refused to serve alcohol to the youngsters and asked for proof of age identification.
Neighbourhood Inspector Mick Hall said: "Overall we're pleased that the vast majority of our city centre bars passed this test with flying colours. But the fact that one bar failed to check the age of the young customer shows that we still need to be vigilant and carry out regular enforcement checks."