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Child alcohol sales 'on the rise' Child alcohol sales 'still high'
(1 day later)
The number of children able to buy alcohol in supermarkets across England and Wales has gone up, figures from a government scheme have revealed. Too many children are still being sold alcohol illegally in England and Wales, says the government.
Supermarket chain Kwik Save had the highest failure rate at 26%, Somerfield was 22% while Sainsbury's and Morrisons both scored 20%, the results showed. Despite recent progress, ministers have urged the industry to do more to stop sales to the under-18s.
Overall, the failure rate for chains has risen from 17% to 18%. Figures from 6,715 "stings" on alcohol outlets showed sales to minors had fallen since 2005, although the failure rate of supermarkets rose slightly.
The government said it was disappointed but industry bodies insisted that progress was being made on the issue. One in three children managed to buy alcohol in licensed premises such as bars, and one in five in off-licences.
The fourth Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC), which cost £2.3 million, carried out hundreds of "sting" operations where minors attempted to buy alcohol in May and June of this year. In the joint police and government operation, under-18s were sold alcohol in 244 (18%) of test purchases on supermarkets - up one percentage point on a similar-sized campaign in winter 2005.
Out of 1,346 such stings, children were able to buy alcohol in 244 cases. Kwik Save was the worst-performing supermarket chain, with a 26% failure rate, although supermarkets overall performed better than other alcohol retailers.
Penalty notices SUPERMARKET FAILURE RATES Kwik Save - 26%Somerfield - 22%Morrisons; J Sainsbury - 20%Co-op - 19%Tesco - 18%Waitrose -12%Asda - 8%
Meanwhile, the failure rate for licensed premises was 29%, which is down from 53% in the previous AMEC campaign carried out last winter. The Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises did worst among pub groups, with a 44% failure rate.
The East Midlands had the highest off-licence failure rate with 31%, followed by the east of England on 28%, London on 24%, Wales 22% while the South East and the South West had 21%. The fourth Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (Amec) was carried out in May and June.
In the licensed trade, Wales had the highest failure proportion with 48%, followed by the east of England on 39%, the South West and the East Midlands 31% and the North West and the South East on 30%. The overall failure rate for off-licences, including supermarkets, was 21%. This compared with 22% earlier in 2006 and 20% in 2005.
The results also showed that police visited more than 30,000 licensed premises and issued 7,300 fixed penalty notices. At 29%, the figure for licensed premises such as pubs was also down on the 53% failure rate found in a smaller operation in early 2006, when 24 police forces took part.
The campaign saw 29,981 people arrested, rising from 25,486 in the previous one. In both the recent study and the 2005 campaign, more than 200 police units were involved.
Arrests
The government said it was "disappointed" too many outlets still sold to children, but industry bodies insisted progress was being made on the issue.
James Lowman, of The Association of Convenience Stores, pointed out that the failure rate for off-licences was 36% in summer 2005, compared with 21% this summer.
Regions varied in performance, with pubs and bars in Wales selling most frequently to children, in 48% of cases.
The North East had the best results, with 18%.
The East Midlands had the highest off-licence failure rate with 31%, followed by the east of England on 28%, London on 24% and Wales with 22%.
'Making progress''Making progress'
Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: "The licensed trade need to build on the real progress they have made to drive down sales to young people even further." Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "The licensed trade need to build on the real progress they have made to drive down sales to young people even further."
Mike Craik, chief constable of Northumbria Police and spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said rogue retailers could "expect to be hit financially through a suspension or revocation of your premises licence". Mike Craik, Chief Constable of Northumbria Police and spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said rogue retailers could "expect to be hit financially through a suspension or revocation of [their] premises licence".
Rob Hayward, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said companies were developing "innovative ways of ensuring managers, licensees, bar staff and the public are aware of our determination to tackle underage sales". But companies were developing "innovative ways of ensuring managers, licensees, bar staff and the public are aware of our determination to tackle underage sales", said Rob Hayward, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.
Nick Grant, of the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group, said: "We're pleased the trend is very much going in the right direction."Nick Grant, of the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group, said: "We're pleased the trend is very much going in the right direction."