Shops let off over underage alcohol

SHOP owners are being let off with selling alcohol to underage teenagers because procurators fiscal are reluctant to prosecute them, according to a new report.

An independent review by the Scottish Centre for Social Research found “open and shut cases” are being dropped for unknown reasons.

Some shopkeepers can continue without consequence for “a considerable number of months” after breaking the law – only being punished after they have been found guilty for a string of offences.

The test-purchasing study commissioned by NHS Health Scotland involved 16-year-olds under police supervision going into off-licenses, shops and supermarkets and buying alcohol.

Test purchasing started in 2007 to crackdown on underage drinking. In the last five years there have been 4,060 tests resulting in 500 failures.