Blunkett plans crackdown on underage drinking

More than 650 licensed premises have been caught selling alcohol to children in an eight-week crackdown.

More than 650 licensed premises have been caught selling alcohol to children in an eight-week crackdown.

Proprietors of the pubs, clubs, supermarkets and off-licences involved in more than one incident are to receive a letter from Home Secretary David Blunkett demanding action. One charity has called for the companies to be named and shamed.

Mr Blunkett said yesterday that magistrates might be asked to increase fines on licensees who break the law, as financial penalties imposed on the industry were "very low".

During the nationwide blitz on alcohol-fuelled violence, police and trading standards officers carried out sting operations on 1,825 premises.

Of these, 51 per cent of pubs, clubs and bars - totalling 191 premises - and 32 per cent of off-licences - totalling 466 - were found to be selling to under-18s. Officers also arrested 5,764 people, handed on-the-spot fines to more than 4,000 yobs and confiscated alcohol from more than 9,500 adults and juveniles.

Mr Blunkett said: "Good work is being done by many in the industry to combat this, but there is no point for policies to be in place to deal with sales of alcohol to minors if they are not implemented.

"That is why I will be writing to the chief executives of the off-licences and drinking establishments that have repeatedly sold alcohol illegally to find out what positive action will be taken to address this."

Ministers said the campaign would be repeated at regular intervals over the coming months. It ran from Thursday to Sunday nights in July and August. Officers visited more than 30,500 premises, of which 4 per cent were found to have committed an offence.

Mr Blunkett said: "Gaining the confidence of communities affected by alcohol-fuelled crime is vital. This is difficult to achieve when fine levels for alcohol-related prosecutions within the industry are often very low, and when people committing anti-social offences can use the excuse of 'drunkenness' to get a shorter sentence. I will be asking the Sentencing Guidelines Council to look at both these issues to see what can be done."

The panel, which advises the judiciary on sentencing, will also look at whether fines were being properly used against establishments prosecuted for selling alcohol illegally.

Geethika Jayatilaka, of Alcohol Concern, said: "Naming and shaming of any business breaking the law, making prosecutions and issuing exclusion orders should become the norm rather than a short-term campaign if the Government is serious about making a difference."