CORNER shops and off-licences selling alcohol to underage drinkers can now be traced by police "code-breakers".

North Durham licensing officer Sergeant Tim Robson has turned code-cracker in his latest attempt to stem the problem of anti-social drunken disorder by youths, which blights towns and villages across the area.

It follows a warning of an increase in police-supervised test purchases by volunteer underage customers at off-licences across the north of the county, announced by Sgt Robson last week.

He said "lot codes" are stamped on cans and drink bottles, providing a means of tracing the source.

When alcohol is seized from youths drinking in public, police will attempt to discover the shop which sold the offending cans and bottles.

Sgt Robson said in the absence of till receipts, or information offered by the youths involved, the codes provide an alternative means of identifying where the drink was bought.

"The lot codes, which are stamped on by the manufacturer, are specific to a limited number of stores within any given area.

"Knowing which part of town the young people are from then means you can put two and two together and trace the premises from where the alcohol was sold.

"The codes are stamped not only on individual bottles and cans, but also on the sides of multi-packs.

"It's hard to believe nobody had thought of this before, since the idea is simplicity itself.

"It has also generated interest from several other forces who have said they intend following our lead."

Sgt Robson said officers are also able to check the images on internal CCTV systems, which most supermarkets and off-licences operate, to provide further evidence of who made a specific purchase.

The scheme has a 98 per cent success rate when it comes to identifying the store concerned.

He said licensees were, initially, shocked to realise the lot codes could pinpoint where the drink was sold.

Sgt Robson added that similar checks can be made by officers seizing solvents and aerosol cans seized from suspected solvent abusers.