CUMBRIA County Council's Trading Standards today publish results of sting' operations in off licences allegedly selling alcohol to children.

Test purchases were carried out in partnership with Cumbria Police and teenage volunteers.The stings' were carried out as part of the Home Office Alcohol Misuse enforcement campaign which ran from 8 July until 30 August.

Nine test purchasing events were organised across the county. Fifty-eight premises were visited and on eight occasions 13 and 14- year-olds bought alcohol with no apparent difficulty.

The initiative is part of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction strategy designed to curb the binge drinking culture which is blighting lives in many communities.

Home Office figures indicate that alcohol is the root cause of 44 per cent of violent crime and 70 per cent of weekend night admissions to casualty.

Phil Ashcroft, the council's Head of Trading Standards said: "The results are disappointing especially as all the off licences targeted were advised of their obligations and warned that test purchasing exercises were to be conducted in their areas.

"Obviously not all licensees and their employees are heeding warnings to take the necessary steps to verify a young persons age before selling alcohol.

"Enforcement action will be taken against outlets who flout the licensing laws by putting profit before their legal and moral responsibilities".