Parents reminded of alcohol impact

A number of cases of underage drinking were discussed at the last meeting where young people had either been bought alcohol to drink by their parents before going out or adults turned a blind eye to them drinking alcohol at home with friends.

The potential dangers of this has been highlighted by incidents in recent weeks including a 14-year-old found lying on the pavement suffering from hypothermia and a teenager who was so drunk she did not know where she was or what had happened.

Joe Tomlinson, Community Safety Officer with the Partnership says: “Everyone has a responsibility in helping to reduce underage drinking.

“VAL members such as the police and council take calls about young people drinking or causing problems as a result of drinking. In spite of this many adults in the areas where the calls come from are contributing to the problems by buying alcohol or allowing young people in their care to drink it.”

The VAL group is planning to raise parents' awareness of the effect allowing under-18s to drink alcohol can have.

Trading Standards Officers will continue to visit off-licence premises and police will be keeping an eye out for adults buying alcohol for under-age drinkers. This, known as proxy purchasing, is an offence and carries an on the spot fine of £80 or, if it goes to court, a fine of up to £1,000.

Trevor Durham, Licensing Manager for Chesterfield Borough Council and Chair of the VAL says: “Young people are being blamed for the issues, and while it is them drinking they are, in effect, being aided and abetted by adults. We hope that by reminding adults of their responsibilities we will impact on this issue.

“Our advice is quite simple, if a person is under the age of 18 they should not drink any alcohol.

Parents seeking advice on ways to talk about alcohol with young people can visit www.drinkaware.co.uk (opens in a new window) or telephone the Partnership on 01246 345345 to request a copy of the “Your Kids and Alcohol” leaflet.