Blears: New penalty notice

Bar staff who serve drunk customers could receive an £80 on-the-spot fine from next week, the  Home Office has announced.
 
The new fixed penalty notice, which is designed to crack down on pubs and clubs which encourage binge drinking, will come into force on Monday.

It will be down to the policy of each pub or club whether the £80 fine will paid by the management or by the bar staff involved.

An on-the-spot fine will also take effect for children caught buying alcohol, with £50 fines for under-18s and £30 for under-16s.

The new fines are part of an ongoing government campaign to tackle drink-related violence which it feels can turn some city centres into "no go" areas.

Police minister Hazel Blears announced the start date for the new measures on Friday during a visit to a Manchester shop, which has adopted underage drinking policies drawn up by the alcohol industry.

The 'No ID No Sale' and 'Challenge 21' initiatives have already seen numerous young people refused alcohol.

Blears said: "These two new penalty notices will help local police tackle underage drinking and irresponsible selling, which we know causes problems with alcohol-fuelled disorder.

"Today proves there is a lot of good practice being demonstrated across the trade, but there are still too many premises illegally selling alcohol to under-18s."

And she added: "We want to see a culture change where a young person attempting to buy alcohol accepts that being asked for ID is the norm.

"This culture change is possible if retailers across the country adopt a consistent 'No ID No Sale' message."

Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, supported the new measures by saying: "We will never condone and we can't ignore underage and binge drinking.

"That's why, from Monday, it's not only the seller, but also the buyer who will take the rap when alcohol is sold to under 18s.

"It sends out a clear message - if the law is broken both parties must pay a price."

Commenting on the government proposals, the shadow home secretary, David Davis, said: "Binge drinking is a massive problem of the government's own creation.

"They have effectively decriminalised underage drinking – more than 80 per cent fewer people, under the age of eighteen, have been dealt with by the police for buying alcohol under Labour."

Davis critised Friday's announcement as a "patchwork response", and added: "If the government was serious about tackling binge drinking they would delay the implementation of 24-hour opening until they have got a grip on the problem."