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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Councils 'fail' on youth drinking | Councils 'fail' on youth drinking |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| More than a third of councils in Scotland have not suspended a single shop licence in the past five years for sales of alcohol to underage drinkers. | More than a third of councils in Scotland have not suspended a single shop licence in the past five years for sales of alcohol to underage drinkers. |
| BBC Scotland has learned that this is despite one in seven off-licences being guilty of selling to under-18s in the most recent police testing scheme. | BBC Scotland has learned that this is despite one in seven off-licences being guilty of selling to under-18s in the most recent police testing scheme. |
| There are now calls for the current laws to be enforced as rigorously as they are in the US. | There are now calls for the current laws to be enforced as rigorously as they are in the US. |
| Four out of five children aged 15 confessed to having bought alcohol. | Four out of five children aged 15 confessed to having bought alcohol. |
| When underage children recently tried to buy alcohol from Scottish off-licences, one in seven were caught red-handed. | When underage children recently tried to buy alcohol from Scottish off-licences, one in seven were caught red-handed. |
| However, the power to suspend the shop's licence to sell alcohol is hardly ever used in Scotland. | However, the power to suspend the shop's licence to sell alcohol is hardly ever used in Scotland. |
| From information provided by councils which responded to the BBC's questions, just 34 licences have been suspended in Scotland in the past five years. | From information provided by councils which responded to the BBC's questions, just 34 licences have been suspended in Scotland in the past five years. |
| More than a third of licensing boards said they had not suspended any. | More than a third of licensing boards said they had not suspended any. |
| In most cases, a typical suspension lasted for two weeks. | In most cases, a typical suspension lasted for two weeks. |
| Alcohol expert Prof Thomas Babor said: "Removing a licence is the most effective deterrent to stop off-licences, supermarkets and bars selling to underage drinkers." | Alcohol expert Prof Thomas Babor said: "Removing a licence is the most effective deterrent to stop off-licences, supermarkets and bars selling to underage drinkers." |
| He said this was essential if drinking laws in Scotland were to be enforced with any success. | He said this was essential if drinking laws in Scotland were to be enforced with any success. |