Sgt Andy Fortune believes underage children in Wootton Bassett are buying alcoholPOLICE in Wootton Bassett are warning parents of the dangers of underage drinking after finding two teenagers four times over the drink-drive limit on two different occasions.

Over the last three weeks local officers have taken a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy back to their parents, each registering well over the legal drink-drive limit.

Sergeant Andy Fortune said: "We're getting quite a lot of reports of anti-social behaviour and underage drinking in Wootton Bassett.

"We want to bring this to the attention of parents, and ask them if they know what their children are doing.

"We also want to point out to licensees, particularly in off-licences, that children are getting hold of booze."

Sergeant Fortune believes that children are often asking passers-by to get them drink.

He said there is also a problem with children using their elder siblings' identity cards or ordering ID cards on the internet.

The officer said: "Obviously this is not a new problem, but the kids are getting younger. We see 12 and 13-year-olds drunk, and it's no longer just boys.

"I don't want to sound sexist but our concern is that these young girls are being given drink by older lads, and the question must be asked what is their agenda?

"The 13-year-old girl we found recently was with older boys who were sober.

"I don't want to go on duty one day and find some girl has been sexually assaulted. The dangers are obvious for all to see.

Sergeant Fortune said that the parents have all been very supportive when their inebriated children are taken home to them, which suggests that they were unaware that this was going on.

Sandy Bonham, landlady of The Town Local in Station Road, said: "It's disgusting. Perhaps they are asking older kids to get the drink for them.

"We had some alcopops stolen a couple of months ago. That was kids, and I think one of them was only about eight."

On Sunday the government's new on-the-spot fines for underage drinkers came into force.

Under-18s who buy alcohol now face a fine or £50, while under-16s will have to pay £30.

Fixed penalty notices of £80 can also be issued to anyone caught buying alcohol for someone underage.

Susan Cooksley, the town's mayor, believes that older people buying young children alcohol is the "height of stupidity".

She said: "I'm shocked. I know most of the landlords and landladies here and they certainly wouldn't sell alcohol to children.

"Any older person caught supplying drink to an under-age child should be locked away for a long time.

"The damage it does to young bodies is awful."

Steve Clover, head of trading standards for Wiltshire County Council, said that in the last investigation, which took place last year, one in four premises sold alcohol to the child test purchasers, who were aged between 13 and 15.

He said: "It's very worrying. Although Trading Standards are responsible for regulating the market place there is also an issue about education of children and also about parents allowing children access to alcohol."

Steve Willard, manager of Unwins off-licence in the town, said: "I've seen a lot of under-age people with booze in the High Street, but they certainly didn't get served by us.

"As well as asking for ID our company policy is that customers have to look 21 to be served alcohol."

In February the Advertiser reported how Britain's youngest drink driver had driven from Swindon to her home near Newbury. She was given a two year supervision order after being stopped by police driving her father's car nearly two times over the limit.

Dave Andrew