A REGIONWIDE clampdown on underage drinking is aiming to stamp out a surge in alcohol- fuelled anti-social behaviour.

Police in County Durham, North Yorkshire and Teesside have launched a series of initiatives aimed at tackling the problem, which has escalated during the school summer holidays.

Youngsters working alongside plain clothes police officers in County Durham have been visiting off-licences in an effort to lift the lid on retailers selling alcohol to underage drinkers - but 86 per cent of shopkeepers failed the test.

Sergeant Tim Robson, Dur-ham Police licensing officer, said they were stepping up action against those who sell to children.

He said: "Any shop caught selling alcohol to juveniles three times can have their licence revoked for a period up to 48 hours."

In Ryedale, North Yorkshire, teenagers getting drunk during the school holidays have been blamed for a sudden surge of crime.

In the past three weeks, there have been 27 recorded thefts, 16 incidents of criminal damage and ten burglaries in the area.

The figures are regarded as a huge leap in an area which only last year was hailed as having the second lowest crime rate in the country.

PC Rich Houghton, of the Malton and Norton neighbourhood policing team, said: "It is a statistical fact that these incidents of anti-social behaviour have increased in volume since the start of the school summer holidays.

"A lot of these incidents are indisputably linked to young people and their alcohol consumption."

In Darlington, officers are operating in plain clothes to catch those who are supplying youngsters with alcohol. Last week, two people, a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, were prosecuted at Darlington Magistrates' Court for supplying juveniles with alcohol. Both were issued with £80 fines.

PC Graeme Hopkirk, officer for North Road, challenged parents in the area to keep a closer eye on their children.

He said: "If parents do not know where their children are, or who they are with, then they should not be surprised when the police call to say their youngster is in custody."

On Teesside, police have an agreement with off-licences in Redcar that no alcohol will be sold to anyone under the age of 21 on Friday and Saturday nights. The scheme has been hailed a success in reducing anti- social behaviour in the resort.

Meanwhile, young Middlesbrough motorists are being warned that they could be putting themselves and others at risk if they even have one drink and drive.

The message comes from the Albert Centre - an alcohol treatment service in Middlesbrough responsible for delivering drink- drive rehabilitation courses throughout the region.

Kevin Wilson, manager of the Albert Centre, said: "The number of people convicted of drink driving offences is starting to creep up again and we are seeing more and more young people attending our courses.

"We would urge young people to use public transport after a night out."