Police in under-age drinking blitz

A blitz on under-age drinking and drug-taking in a north Shropshire town has led to the seizure of hundreds of bottles of beer and arrests for possession of controlled drugs, police said today.

Police in Whitchurch say they are taking a tough line with groups of youngsters drinking in public and causing anti-social problems.

Large quantities of alcohol have recently been seized by officers who have been called to deal with teenagers gathering in areas of the town such as Jubilee Park.

Members of the public had complained of anti-social behaviour, including excessive noise, bad language and smashed bottles.

The most recent incidents were on Friday night in Jubilee Park. A group of youths near the toilets fled on seeing police, who seized a box of beer.

Several hours later, officers were called to the old towpath where about 20 youngsters aged 12 to 17 had gathered. They were spoken to and three crates of beer were confiscated.

Sergeant Tony Merrick said: "Whitchurch has seen a spate of alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour. Our response teams have had a purge on seizing alcohol in and around Jubilee Park together with two arrests for possession of controlled drugs.

"We have seized hundreds of bottles and feel this has made a major impact on anti-social behaviour."

He said police were working with Shropshire trading standards to identify and prosecute retailers who sell drink to under-age people while impressing on youngsters the dangers of excessive drinking.

"We are retaining information on people involved and will use effectively all legislation open to us in order to combat this kind of behaviour. This will include arresting offenders, anti-social behaviour orders, exclusion and dispersal orders and seizure of alcohol," said Sgt Merrick.

"I would also like to thank members of the public who alert us to this issue and assure them that the police take these matters seriously and are taking action to tackle them."

Councillor Alan Chesters, Mayor of Whitchuch, said: "There's been an ongoing problem for a considerable amount of time. I welcome the initiative because it has got out of hand."

By Tom Johannsen