Move Asda help stop under-age drinking

One of Peterborough's largest supermarkets has revealed new measures to limit access to alcohol and make it harder for under-18s to break the law.

A move that city-based alcohol awareness charity Drinksense sees as "a small, but important, step" in the right direction.

Asda has announced measures to tackle both under-age drinking and the effects that late-night alcohol-related crime have on the community.

Thousands of shoppers use the Asda store, in Rivergate, city centre, each day, and although some of the measures don't affect it, people will notice a change.

High-alcohol, fruit-flavoured shot-sized "shooters" have been removed from sale, and under 18s who attempt to purchase alcohol could be prosecuted by Asda.

The company will also carry out independent test purchases, to see if under 18s are able to buy alcohol, every month in each branch, and the results will be published on the supermarket's website.

Asda president Andy Bond said: "Our aim is to make it practically impossible for under 18s to break the law in our stores.

"From today, we are adopting a zero-tolerance approach.

"We will also display signs making it clear that we reserve the right to prosecute anyone under 18 who attempts to purchase alcohol, or anyone doing so on a child's behalf."

Shooters will be removed from sale, following calls by campaigners that they are particularly attractive to under-age drinkers.

Nationally, the supermarket is also stopping selling alcohol after midnight in town centre stores, to prevent people leaving late night bars and clubs from buying even more booze.

Asda announced it was investing £1 million into targeted youth projects to tackle alcohol-related problems among kids, working alongside Business in the Community.

An Asda spokeswoman said: "These new changes will be phased in over the next few weeks. The main change will be prosecution rates – we encourage police to do so, but now we want to do more ourselves."

Last week, Tesco announced that it was "willing to take an active role in discussions around the introduction of legislation to ensure responsible pricing on alcohol and alcohol promotions".

Christine Greer is chief executive of Drinksense, which has offices in Eastfield Road and London Road, in Peterborough.

She said: "We need to recognise as adults that we are all responsible for the way alcohol is managed in our community.

"This is a small step forward, but an important one."

ET Comment: Supermarket's active role Asda be a good idea
It's great news that Asda has decided to play an active role in preventing under-age teenage drinkers getting their hands on alcohol.

The big supermarkets have come under criticism for being lax in checking the age of purchasers, and for tempting teens with low priced booze.

Now Asda has, commendably, decided to take a socially responsible stance, s
tarting with the removal from the shelves of shot-sized fruit flavoured so-called "shooters" which are popular in the teenage market.

The supermarket is going to make its zero tolerance stance high profile with displays in all its stores, and it intends policing the move by sending in under-age "shoppers" to test the vigilance of staff. The results of these random surveys of its own outlets will be published on Asda's website. Full marks for that, Asda didn't have to go that far and it shows a real commitment to playing an active role in tackling the horrific consequences of drunken teenage behaviour.

Tesco has also said that it is willing to work with the Government and police to tackle the problem, so the days of teenagers nipping into their local supermarket and getting "fuel" for a night of trouble on the town may at last be over. Good reason for everyone to celebrate.

Peterborough Today