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Alcohol industry bosses are backing plans to create more prohibition zones across Wales in a bid to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour.

As Wales on Sunday revealed last week, hundreds of children in Wales – some as young as eight – are drinking alcohol regularly.

And with drink-related anti-social behaviour a major social problem, agencies are looking at ways to tackle the problem.

Local authorities have the power to create alcohol prohibition zones, while enforcement is down to the police.

Now the British Beer and Pub Association says it is keen to see more alcohol-free zones.

Mark Hastings, director of communications at the BBPA, said: “There are a range of measures which police and local authorities can use.

“The creation of alcohol prohibition zones is a targeted way of ensuring that people are not drinking in streets and other areas in towns where people are known to congregate causing either a low, or high level of disruption.

“But these zones have to be used with care. For example you don’t want to be banning perfectly law-abiding people from enjoying a drink with their picnic.

“What police and local authorities need to be doing is looking at ways of targeting particular groups of people in particular ways.”

Mr Hastings added that he would like to see more action taken against youngsters who have illegally bought alcohol underage.

“There needs to be more of a debate around the prosecution of youngsters for buying alcohol illegally. The police have had the powers to seize alcohol from youngsters who are drinking it underage. They have had those powers for 10 years. But it is only businesses who sell alcohol to children who are prosecuted,” he said.

Welsh police forces are also backing the careful creation of more alcohol prohibition zones.

Acting Chief Constable Andrew Edwards, of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police believes that prohibition zones can be useful when used as part of a wider strategy to deal drunkenness and anti-social behaviour.”

Wales On Sunday