Disappointment After Alcohol Swoop (Contributed)

TRADING Standards? chiefs have branded an undercover swoop on shops and off licences in Oxfordshire a massive disappointment after shops sold alcohol to a thirteen-year-old child.

Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards? officers carried out the undercover test purchasing exercise with the assistance of child volunteers.

The children, aged from 13 to 15, were asked to enter each premise and attempt to buy alcohol, cigarettes, fireworks or aerosol spray paint. It is illegal to sell any of these products to children.

Seventeen out of the 85 retailers failed to challenge the children and sold them restricted items. The figures for alcohol were the worst, with 14 sales out of 65 attempts (22%).

Nigel Strick, Head of Oxfordshire County Council?s Trading Standards said: ?As a service we are committed to preventing the sale of alcohol to young people and so we are naturally disappointed that some retailers were prepared to sell alcoholic drink to children.

?Retailers should be asking for proof of age, and I applaud those shopkeepers who are taking their responsibilities seriously and who refused to serve our child volunteers.

?Retailers are warned that we will be planning more undercover exercises at retail premises across Oxfordshire.?

County Councillor Ray Jelf, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: ?Retailers need to act responsibly when selling alcohol or any other age restricted product.

?Equally we need to do what we can to help retailers, recognising the issues that they are faced with, for example, a high turnover in staff.

?Retailers should be aware that both the licensee and the sales assistant who sells alcohol to a person under 18 can be prosecuted, so everyone needs to know what they should be doing.?

Investigations into the illegal sales are now continuing.

Oxfordshire Trading Standards uses intelligence gathered from a number of sources, including complaints from members of the public, concerned parents and information from the police, to target areas of the county where illegal sales may be being made.