LICENSEES have been warned to be on their guard as the police and Trading Standards officials gear-up to carry out "stings" at on and off-licensed premises caught selling alcohol to under age youngsters.

The warning was issued by PC John Brooks following four successful test purchase operations in Kendal and Ulverston over the past six months.

He said staff and licensees caught once were given warnings. After that fixed penalty notices and further action is taken, including the threat of a £1,000 fine increasing to £5,000 following a conviction at court. Licensees can also be suspended or licences altered under the Licensing Act 2003.

However, the Union of Shops, Distributed and Allied Workers has warned that the "stings" will not prevent under age alcohol sales.

It says the only way forward in tackling the problem is the introduction of a nationally co-ordinated ID scheme for teenagers.

USDAW believes staff are being criminalised for making split second decisions when deciding if customers were under age or not.

The popularity of pubs and off-licences over Christmas added further pressure on shopkeepers who were busy serving, said the union, which also accepted that under age drinking was a "massive problem".

"Stings" in South Lakeland and Furness over the past six months have involved visits to 40 licensed and off-licensed premises. Eighteen instances of selling alcohol to under age drinkers were discovered, resulting in warnings and fixed penalty notices being issued to both staff and licensees.

Meanwhile, a Christ-mas crack down on under age drinking, binge-drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence was launched in South Lakeland on Wednesday.

The Have a safe and violence free Christmas' campaign that proved successful last year has been launched again, with Cumbria police and Cumbria Trading Standards officials set to pay particular attention to under age drinking with a series of test purchase operations.

The police-led campaign will see a greater high visibility police presence in town centres across the district, in particular Kendal, Windermere and Ulverston.

Cumbria police's licensing officer for South Lakeland, John Brooks, said the police would be taking a zero tolerance approach to alcohol-fuelled disorder and violence during the campaign.

South Lakeland District Council's licensing and enforcement officer Dave Spedding called on revellers to play their part in reducing alcohol-related problems by moderating their drinking.

He said beer mats and posters were being distributed to pubs, clubs and off-licences in the hope that customers would follow that advice and enjoy the festive period safely and responsibly.

The campaign also involved Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, SAFE Domestic Violence project, Cumbria Ambulance Service and Westmorland General Hospital at Kendal.

See News - Furness for a look into how one town coped on 'opening' night.