Schools demand blitz on booze sales to youngsters.

Special Express report
Off-licences say over 18's are to blame

OFFLICENCES tackling the problem of under-age drinking say the trouble ofteen stems not from youngsters buying alcohol, but from the over-18s who buy the booze for them.

Unwins, which has three shops In Dover - In Bench Street, Cherry Tree Avenue and Worthington Avenue operates a 'Challenge and Refusal Book" system.

If the manager or assistant in an Unwins store suspects that someone asking for alcohol is under 18 then the guide book will be referred to.

A description of the customer may have been logged if they have previously been refused service for being under 18, or if they are over-18 but have had to show proof of their age.

Similarly, if it has come to the store's attention that someone over-18 has been 'touted' to buy alcohol for under-age youngsters then a description of that person will also be put in the book and staff will be instructed not to serve them again.

Malcolm Davidson, Unwin's director of security, said: "We take this very seriously. Apart from this 'Challenge and Refusal Book' system, recognising under-age drinkers comes strongly into our staff training.

"And if we do find that a member of staff has served someone under-age then they are dismissed.

"We have a moral responsibility and also a legal requirement, because the maximum penalty for serving someone uuder-18 is a £1,000 fine and the loss of the store's licence."

At Dover Drink Mart, in London Road, assistant John Brown said there were very few cases of under-age youngsters trying to be served.

"If we suspect they are under age we will not serve them, and if someone over 18 has come in and bought drinks for juveniles then we will not serve them again," he said.

Mr Brown added: "It is not always easy to spot people who are under-18, and we find it is harder to spot girls than boys because make-up can make them look older."

Colin Kingsnorth, landlord of the Gate Inn at Crabble Hill, said: "If we suspect someone is under-age then they will not he served. There's not much else we can do,"

Francis Franklin, landlord of the Mogul, in Chaple Lane, said he tried to deal with under-age drinkers before they reached the bar.

He explained: "If we are not certain about someone's age they are asked to produce ID at the door of the pub."

And Glenn Virtue, landlord of the Engineer, in Folkestone Road, said the problem might be solved by introducing national identity cards.

HEAD teachers have slammed pubs and off-licences which sell booze to under-age youngsters.

They say what they arc doing is irresponsible and very harmful, and have called for a police crackdown.

Earlier this month the Dover Express revealed that schoolchildren as young as 12 were turning up drunk to a youth disco at the Phoenix Railway Club in Dover's Crabble Road.

And just a week before that we reported that two 15-year-old boys from the Duke of York's Royal Military School were suspended after gelling drunk on a trip to town.

The two boys had been served beer in a town centre pub, and head teacher Gordon Wilson sent his deputy, John Davey to visit the pub to complain about the problems of under-age drinking.

He said: "As the head teacher of a boarding school I am very concerned that someone in the town centre has served alcohol to under age pupils.

"I would like some off-licences and pubs to be a bit more responsible about who they are serving."

Dover Girls Grammar school head teacher Elizabeth Lewis said: "We have a law that says people under the age of I8 should not be served alcohol, and sometimes it is perfectly obvious when someone is under-age.

"I fully support any calls for pubs and off-licences to be more careful about who they are serving."

Miss Lewis, who said she had not dealt with any alcohol-related problems in her 12 months at the school added that pupils were taught about the dangers of drinking in social education classes.

Tom Connolly, head teacher of St. Edmunds Roman Catholic Comprehensive School, said "There had been the odd occasion at the school when pupils turned up drunk at a disco.

In these cases the parents were always sent for."

He said: "The places selling alcohol to under-age people often know who they are and so do a lot of other people. It is very irresponsible."

Neil Slater, head teacher of Dover Grammar School for Boys. said there were no alcohol problems al the school but if there were he would want to know who had supplied it.

Dave Norton, who is running the discos for youngsters at the Phoenix Railway Club, had threatened to scrap them if any more drunken youngsters turned up.

But he said things had improved since the Dover Express highlighted the problem.

There were no problems at a disco held after our report and more arc planned. Mr Norton is also bidding to set up a much needed youth club.

He said: "No young people have turned up drunk since, I think the story in the Express helped and the police have been tremendous.

"I'm not pointing the finger of blame at anyone, but someone served the kids who came here drunk and they ought to realise they have done a lot of harm," he said.

The mother of one of the youngsters who turned up at the disco drunk - who asked not to be named because she did not want her 15-year-old son identified - said: "My boy didn't buy alcohol himself, he drank it after it was bough by someone else who was also under-age.

"He knows he did wrong, but the shop which sold it is to blame.

"I am appalled and I hope the police come down on them hard. A disco like that is a great idea for kids as there's not much else for them to do in Dover."

The police are also planning tough action. South East Kent police Supt. Bill Wharf said his Chief Inspector. Bob Fautley, will shortly he visiting all off licences in the Crabble Road area to remind them that it is an offence to serve alcohol to the under-18s.

He added that licensing magistrates are being asked to warn off-licence managers about their responsibilities when they apply to have their licences renewed.